LANSING (WKZO AM/FM) — Michigan’s Attorney General is the state’s top prosecutor, but Michigan’s new A.G., Dana Nessel, has just launched a unit designed to clear people of criminal charges.
The new Conviction Integrity Unit will take on cases from convicted criminals who can make credible claims that they were innocent and were convicted anyway.
We have seen cases in this area. Tom Foley was convicted of murdering his wife in Branch County and subsequently cleared. Lorinda Swain of Calhoun County was exonerated after serving 8-years on a sexual abuse charge.
The new unit is modeled after a similar operation set up by Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy in her own department.
Nessel says the state has a duty to make sure only guilty people are punished for crimes.
