FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Macomb County Prosecutor’s Office
Contact: Dawn Fraylick, Communications Director
Office: +1 (586) 469-5737
Cell: +1 (586) 842-4421
Email: Dawn.Fraylick@macombgov.org
October 2, 2024
Macomb County Prosecutor’s Office Recognizes Wrongful Conviction Day
Mount Clemens, MI - October 2 is Wrongful Conviction Day, a time to acknowledge that wrongful convictions happen and to reflect on the profound harm they cause. When someone is wrongfully convicted, they can lose years of their freedom, along with the chance to build a family, support loved ones, and earn a living. The impact ripples through families, leaving them devastated. For victims, the uncertainty of knowing the real perpetrator remains at large can lead to renewed trauma. Society pays the price because the real perpetrator often roams free, committing more crimes. No one, not one sector of society benefits when people are wrongfully convicted.
The National Registry of Exonerations reports that since 1989, 3,593 people have been exonerated in the United States. The Registry reports that Glynn Simmons of Oklahoma, spent 48 years, 1 month and 18 days in prison (1975-2023), before being released. In Michigan, Richard Phillips, was in prison for 46 years, 1 month and 6 days prior to being released in 2017. These men and their families can never recover the lost time. To better understand the causes of wrongful convictions and learn about the exonerations of the 3,593 cases referenced above, please take a look at the National Registry of Exonerations website at https://www.law.umich.edu/special/exoneration
“As prosecutors, our duty is to seek justice, not just convictions. Wrongful Conviction Day reminds us of the profound consequences when the criminal justice system fails. When an innocent person is wrongfully convicted, their life, the lives of their family members, and the victims’ sense of security are shattered. That’s why I established the Conviction Integrity Unit—to ensure that if mistakes were made, we correct them. It's our responsibility to uphold the integrity of our justice system and ensure that the right person is held accountable. We cannot give back lost time, but we can prevent future injustices,” said Macomb County Prosecutor Peter J. Lucido.
Prosecutor Lucido created the Macomb County Prosecutor’s Office Conviction Integrity Unit (CIU) in 2022. The mission of the (CIU) is to investigate claims of factual innocence to determine whether there is clear and convincing evidence that the convicted played no role in the criminal act. To date, the Unit has had one exoneration. For more information about the Macomb County CIU please visit https://www.macombgov.org/CIU
On Wrongful Conviction Day, the Macomb County Prosecutor's Office Conviction Integrity Unit and Prosecutor Lucido, asks everyone to remember that famous quote by Martin Luther King, Jr., "that the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice." The Macomb County Prosecutors’ Office takes those words seriously and will continue to do our best to bend the arc in the direction of justice.