Casey Rucker, from left, Michael Tunink, Amanda Delano, Ammon Barker, Jennifer Yazzie, Sara Fry, Jonathan Mosher, Mark R. Moran. Courtesy photo.
COCONINO COUNTY — The Coconino County Attorney’s Office is proud to announce the creation of a Conviction Integrity Unit (CIU) to review post-conviction claims of actual innocence.
“Arizona law places special responsibilities on every prosecutor that continue even after a conviction. Those responsibilities require us to act when we encounter clear and convincing evidence of a claim of innocence,” Coconino County Attorney Ammon Barker said. “The Conviction Integrity Unit demonstrates our commitment to those special responsibilities through a fair, thorough, and transparent process.”
The CIU will evaluate claims of actual innocence and make recommendations to the County Attorney regarding the merits of the claim. To enhance the integrity and transparency of the process, the County Attorney will be advised by a Conviction Review Committee, which includes former Coconino County Superior Court Judge Mark R. Moran and former Flagstaff Police Department Detective Casey Rucker. Both have generously volunteered their time and expertise to serve in this important role.
To qualify for review, applications must meet certain criteria. For example, the appeal process must be complete, and there must be credible and verifiable evidence of innocence or new technologies that exist to test or retest remaining relevant evidence. All applicants must meet the specified criteria which can be found at coconino.az.gov/ConvictionIntegrityUnit.
“No system is perfect, and despite our best efforts, mistakes can happen. In the criminal justice system, no mistake is more serious than a wrongful conviction,” Jonathan Mosher, Chief Legal Counsel at the Coconino County Attorney’s Office and a member of the CIU said. “We hope we never encounter such a mistake, but we must remain open to the possibility and take real action to ensure we have the means to identify and correct errors if they are out there.”
For more information, please visit coconino.az.gov/CountyAttorney or contact the Coconino County Attorney’s Office at 928-679-8200.