Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty announces "Conviction Integrity Unit"

MINNEAPOLIS — Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty on Monday announced a new unit to review past cases for mistakes and unjustified convictions.

The "Conviction Integrity Unit" is "another step toward ensuring justice, accountability and transparency," Moriarty's office said in a release.

"No prosecutor here wants to see someone convicted for a crime they did not commit, the actual perpetrator free to do more harm, or victims left with questions," Moriarty said. "I'm honored to establish the Hennepin County Attorney's Office's first Conviction Integrity Unit to ensure that when mistakes are made, they will be remedied, and justice will be done."

The unit will be led by Andrew Markquart, managing attorney for the Great North Innocence Project , a nonprofit that works to free the wrongfully convicted.

"I am confident that with this work we can make a profound difference in the lives of individuals that our system has failed in the past and help create a more transparent and just Hennepin County," Markquart said.

An application process will be posted on the county attorney's website in the future.

At the statewide level, the Minnesota Attorney General's Office has a Conviction Review Unit that serves the same function as Moriarty's new group. Her office said the local unit will free up the AG's to focus on other parts of the state.

Markquart will be joined by another lawyer, an investigator and a paralegal in the future, Moriarty's office said.