I got mine done, too.

Lynch believes she deserves answers about whether law enforcement knew her conviction was based on a false theory. “Because the grave injustice I went through — that you people put me through — someone needs to know.”

In 1995, after her landlord was killed, police interrogated Lynch. She says they pressured her into a false confession—and then used it to convict her.

Years later, a reinvestigation uncovered exculpatory evidence withheld from the defense. DNA testing also ruled her out.

Controlled by elected officials, units can become vulnerable to internal pressure to cover up past mistakes.

Because there are no legal standards governing CIUs, personnel can commit the same abuses as their colleagues in DAs’ offices. (As happened in the case of Calvin Buari.)

Interviews with dozens of people and a review of hundreds of pages of government records reveal a CIU system operating almost entirely in secret, with no outside oversight.

Most units across the state answer solely to the DAs who created them.

For the past year, Willow Higgins and I have been looking into NY’s conviction integrity units. They promised justice for the wrongfully incarcerated. But our investigation, in collab w/
@nysfocus.bsky.social and @columbiajournalism.bsky.social
Investigations, shows they have fallen short. 🧵