The washtenaw county prosecutor conviction integrity and expungement unit (cieu) is in michigans sixth largest county

The Washtenaw County Prosecutor's Conviction Integrity and Expungement Unit (CIEU) received a $600,000 Project Grant from the U.S. Department of Justice's Bureau of Justice Assistance under the Capital Case Litigation Initiative (CFDA 16.746) program. The goal of the CIEU is to investigate claims of actual innocence and provide expungement screenings to facilitate record clearance. To accomplish this, the grant will fund a full-time assistant prosecutor to supervise and train part-time interns, freeing up the CIEU director to focus on case review, evidence testing, and coordination with the state Attorney General's office. This 3-year grant, awarded on November 1, 2024, will enable the CIEU to address its backlog of over 35 innocence claims and process new applications in a timely manner without court involvement.

The goal of the cieu is to: investigate claims of actual innocence to determine whether new, credible, material evidence not previously addressed by any court, supports the claim; and provide screenings for expungement cases and partner with community organizations to facilitate expungement support. The cieu has a backlog of over 35 claims and regularly receives new applications. To accomplish this goal, the cieu will hire a full-time assistant prosecutor to supervise and train part-time interns to free up the director to work closely with investigators on prioritizing leads, focus on case review and development, identify laboratories, and oversee the testing process. The cieu will continue to coordinate with the state attorney generals office on the review of promising cases of actual innocence, work together with investigators to locate evidence, and arrange for testing of biological evidence in a timely manner without court involvement.