Official misconduct is the second-leading contributing factor to wrongful convictions — and it can occur at every stage of a case, from the initial investigation through trial.
The vast majority of police officers and prosecutors act honestly. But criminal justice is a human system, and even rare abuses of power carry enormous consequences. Common forms include:
660
cases of confirmed prosecutorial misconduct over five years, found by a five-state survey by the Innocence Project and the Veritas Initiative. Only one prosecutor was disciplined.
Two complementary reforms address this gap: independent oversight and internal accountability.
Divisions within a prosecutor’s office dedicated to identifying and correcting wrongful convictions. Nationally, CIUs have contributed to 857 exonerations, but only around 5% of the country’s 2,300+ prosecutor’s offices have one.
Bodies empowered to investigate and discipline misconduct when it occurs, rather than leaving accountability entirely to the offending office.
Florida currently has Conviction Review/Conviction Integrity Units in Duval and Broward Counties.