Taking Aim at the Causes of Injustice in New York

Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance said yesterday that his office is taking steps to prevent wrongful convictions before they happen.

Vance, who took office three weeks ago following former DA

Robert Moganthau’s

retirement after 35 years in the office, said he has already set up working groups to address the most common causes of wrongful convictions. He said he is working to address eyewitness misidentifications and forensic problems, and that he had formed a prosecution integrity panel "to make sure we follow best practices at the beginning of cases and in training."

Innocence Project Co-Director Barry Scheck joined Vance on a panel yesterday at the New York Bar Association’s annual “President’s Summit.”

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