Wrongful Conviction
Conviction Integrity Units: A Pathway to Justice in Georgia
This document analyzes the state of Conviction Integrity Units (CIUs) in Georgia, finding that only 3 of 159 counties have CIUs, leaving the vast majority of the state without prosecutorial mechanisms to review potentially wrongful convictions. Georgia's unique legal barriers—including no right to counsel in habeas proceedings, a four-year habeas statute of limitations, and procedural default doctrines—compound this gap. Nationally, CIUs are becoming indispensable to exonerations, with 62 CIU-assisted exonerations in 2024 alone, and Georgia's Chatham County accounts for a disproportionate 20% of the state's exonerations despite being only its fifth most populous county.
Pre-written explainers based on this research
Key Findings
The most impactful data from this research collection.
33
Harris County CIU: 132 exonerations since 2014
StatisticAll Data Points
41 verified data points extracted from primary sources.
Approximately 122 CIUs exist nationwide out of ~2,300 prosecutor offices Statistic
As of 2025, there are approximately 122 Conviction Integrity Units nationwide, compared to approximately 2,300 prosecutor offices in the United States — meaning only about 5% of prosecutor offices have a CIU.
122 CIUs vs. total prosecutor offices nationwide
Only 5% of US prosecutor offices have a CIU Statistic
Only about 5% of prosecutor offices in the United States have a Conviction Integrity Unit as of 2025.
5%
CIUs helped secure 62 exonerations in 2024 Statistic
In 2024, CIUs helped secure 62 exonerations nationwide.
62 exonerations
Innocence Organizations participated in 53 exonerations in 2024 Statistic
In 2024, Innocence Organizations (IOs) participated in 53 exonerations.
53 exonerations
IOs and CIUs collaborated on 22 exonerations in 2024 Statistic
In 2024, Innocence Organizations and CIUs worked together on 22 exonerations, representing 15% of the total 147 exonerations that year.
22 exonerations vs. total exonerations in 2024
147 total exonerations in 2024 Statistic
There were 147 exonerations in 2024 overall in the United States.
147 exonerations
63% of 2024 exonerations involved a professional exonerator Statistic
93 (63%) of the 147 exonerations in 2024 involved a professional exonerator (from CIUs or Innocence Organizations).
63%
Cook County CIU: 33 exonerations since 2012 Statistic
Cook County, Illinois CIU has produced 33 exonerations since 2012.
33 exonerations
Harris County CIU: 132 exonerations since 2014 Statistic
Harris County, Texas CIU has produced 132 exonerations since 2014, making it one of the most prolific CIUs in the country.
132 exonerations
Brooklyn CIU: 24 exonerations, 22 involving African-American exonerees Statistic
Brooklyn, New York CIU has produced 24 exonerations, 22 of which involved African-American exonerees.
24 exonerations
Georgia has only 3 CIUs covering 3 of 159 counties Statistic
Georgia has only three Conviction Integrity Units, all in metro-area counties. With 49 judicial circuits and 159 counties, the vast majority of Georgia has no mechanism for prosecutorial review of potentially wrongful convictions.
3 CIUs vs. total Georgia counties
Fulton County CIU established in 2019 — Georgia's first Case detail
Georgia's first Conviction Integrity Unit was established in Fulton County by then-District Attorney Paul Howard Jr. in 2019, with Aimee Maxwell hired as director.
Exonerations of Stinchcomb and Woolfolk in 2021 Case detail
Under DA Fani Willis's administration, the Fulton County CIU achieved notable results including the 2021 exonerations of Mario Stinchcomb and Michael Woolfolk, who had been wrongfully convicted of murder in 2002.
Chatham County accounts for 20% of Georgia's exonerations Statistic
Chatham County has a disproportionate history of wrongful convictions, representing 20% of Georgia's exonerations despite being only the fifth most populous county. Nine known exonerations have occurred in Chatham County alone.
20%
Nine known exonerations in Chatham County Statistic
Nine known exonerations have occurred in Chatham County alone.
9 exonerations
Chatham County CIU established via DOJ BJA grant in 2022 Case detail
The Chatham County CIU was created through a DOJ Bureau of Justice Assistance grant awarded in November 2021 to the Georgia Innocence Project and the Chatham DA's Office. The CIU was established in 2022.
Chatham CIU received 30 review requests by May 2024 Statistic
As of May 2024, the Chatham County CIU had received 30 requests for review; slightly over half were screened out for not meeting basic eligibility requirements.
30 review requests
Chatham CIU developed a point-based prioritization tool Policy
The Chatham County CIU developed a 'prioritization tool' — a point-based system to assess and prioritize incoming innocence claims.
Gwinnett County CIU established March 2021 Case detail
Gwinnett County established its CIU in March 2021 under District Attorney Patsy Austin-Gatson. The unit is led by Senior Assistant DAs Brenda Lopez Romero and Herbert Adams.
Georgia has no right to counsel in habeas corpus proceedings Legal fact
Georgia is one of the few states that does not constitutionally or statutorily guarantee the right to counsel in habeas proceedings. Most inmates represent themselves pro se.
Georgia's four-year habeas corpus statute of limitations Legal fact
Georgia imposes a four-year habeas corpus statute of limitations (O.C.G.A. § 9-14-42). After four years from conviction becoming final, the courthouse door closes. Since the average DNA exoneree serves 14 years before exoneration, this deadline elim…
Average DNA exoneree serves 14 years before exoneration Statistic
The average DNA exoneree serves 14 years before exoneration, far exceeding Georgia's four-year habeas statute of limitations.
14 years
Georgia's procedural default doctrine bars claims not raised on direct appeal Legal fact
Under Georgia's procedural default doctrine, claims not raised on direct appeal are generally barred, even if the defendant had no lawyer, didn't know the legal issue existed, or had ineffective counsel.
Georgia's successive habeas petition bars make second petitions nearly impossible Legal fact
Filing a second habeas petition in Georgia is nearly impossible, even with new evidence, due to successive petition bars.
Harris County CIU discovered mass guilty pleas to non-controlled substances Case detail
Harris County's CIU discovered that scores of people had pleaded guilty to drug possession before lab results came back showing what they possessed were not controlled substances.
Trend: CIUs becoming indispensable to identifying wrongful convictions Trend
The share of exonerations involving professional exonerators (CIUs and Innocence Organizations) has been increasing over time, with 63% of 2024 exonerations involving a professional exonerator.
Aimee Maxwell quote on public safety implications of wrongful convictions Quote
"The fact that people are exonerated on a regular basis now around the country should make citizens worry. If you get it wrong, there's an innocent person in prison, but also the guilty person is still out there. So you're not safe. You have an illu…
Aimee Maxwell quote on demanding CIUs in every county Quote
Aimee Maxwell, director of the Fulton County CIU, has stated that people in every county should demand a CIU to verify the system got it right.
Robert Mosteller quote on state innocence commissions Quote
Professor Robert Mosteller of UNC wrote that "a state agency devoted to finding innocence can work in the real world if it has a commitment to neutrality and is perceived as such."
Coverage gap: Most Georgia counties have no wrongful conviction review mechanism Data gap
With only 3 CIUs covering 3 of Georgia's 159 counties (and 49 judicial circuits), the overwhelming majority of Georgia has no prosecutorial mechanism for reviewing potentially wrongful convictions. A person wrongfully convicted in rural South Georgi…
Counties without CIUs may have undiscovered wrongful convictions Finding
Chatham County's disproportionate representation among Georgia exonerations — 20% of all state exonerations — demonstrates that wrongful convictions are not evenly distributed. Counties without CIUs may have undiscovered wrongful convictions that ne…
Wrongful Conviction Compensation Act provides $75,000/year Legal fact
Georgia's Wrongful Conviction Compensation Act (SB 244, signed by Republican Gov. Kemp) provides compensation of $75,000 per year of wrongful incarceration. The act passed with bipartisan support.
2026 Georgia gubernatorial race as strategic advocacy window Finding
The 2026 Georgia gubernatorial race provides a strategic window to advocate for statewide conviction integrity reform, with arguments based on public safety, fiscal responsibility, system credibility, bipartisan support, and federal pressure from th…
Chatham CIU eligibility: felony conviction, final appeal, actual innocence claim Policy
Chatham County CIU eligibility requirements include: felony conviction prosecuted by the Chatham DA's Office, direct appeal has become final with no pending litigation, and claim must be of actual innocence — the defendant did not commit the crime a…
Gwinnett CIU requires new evidence not considered by trier of fact Policy
Gwinnett CIU requirements for review: the convicted person must assert actual innocence, the investigation must show a plausible claim, new information or evidence must exist that was not considered by the trier of fact, and direct appeal must be fi…
GPS recommends CIUs should also review constitutional violations Policy
The GPS idea bank entry notes that conviction integrity units should also 'review cases where the constitution was violated' — including Brady violations and major constitutional violations like holding someone in jail until they plea out. This broa…
Mercer Law Review 2022 analysis of Georgia conviction integrity reforms Finding
A 2022 Mercer Law Review article by E. Addison Gantt and Meagan R. Hurley provides a comprehensive analysis of Georgia's criminal legal system as it relates to conviction integrity. It examines wrongful conviction prevalence, prosecutor roles in cor…
Definition: CIU as a division preventing and remedying wrongful convictions Finding
A Conviction Integrity Unit (CIU) is a division within a prosecutorial office dedicated to preventing, identifying, and remedying wrongful convictions. Sometimes called Conviction Review Units (CRUs), CIUs represent a fundamental shift in prosecutor…
Effective CIU characteristics Finding
Effective CIUs share several characteristics: independence from the original prosecution team, willingness to collaborate with defense attorneys and innocence organizations, transparent processes with clear eligibility criteria, adequate staffing an…
2024 DOJ investigation found unconstitutional conditions in Georgia prisons Finding
The 2024 DOJ investigation found conditions in Georgia prisons so severe they violate the Constitution — meaning every unnecessary prisoner in the system is exposed to unconstitutional conditions.
Brooklyn CIU racial disparity: 22 of 24 exonerees were African-American Statistic
Brooklyn, New York CIU produced 24 exonerations, 22 of which (92%) involved African-American exonerees, highlighting the racial dimension of wrongful convictions.
92%
Sources
13 cited sources backing this research.
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Journalism
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Press release
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Data portal
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Legal document
Key Entities
Organizations, people, facilities, and other named entities referenced in this research.
Aimee Maxwell
[person]
Brenda Lopez Romero
[person]
Bureau of Justice Assistance
[organization]
Chatham County CIU
[program]
Cook County CIU
[program]
E. Addison Gantt
[person]
Fani Willis
[person]
Fulton County CIU
[program]
Georgia Department of Corrections
[organization]
Georgia Innocence Project
[organization]
Georgia Prisoners' Speak
[organization]
Gwinnett County CIU
[program]
Harris County CIU
[program]
Herbert Adams
[person]
Mario Stinchcomb
[person]
Meagan R. Hurley
[person]
Michael Woolfolk
[person]
National Registry of Exonerations
[organization]
North Carolina Innocence Inquiry Commission
[organization]
O.C.G.A. § 9-14-42
[legislation]
Patsy Austin-Gatson
[person]
Paul Howard Jr.
[person]
Robert Mosteller
[person]
Shalena Jones
[person]
Southern Center for Human Rights
[organization]
Wrongful Conviction Compensation Act
[legislation]