Minnesota’s Conviction Review Unit (CRU) Is Gone. Wrongful Convictions Are Not.

The Issue

Founded in 2021 with great fanfare, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison declared the CRU’s “purpose” was “to identify, remedy, and prevent wrongful convictions,” and that the CRU would “fearlessly review cases to make sure justice was served, and if not, to right those wrongs.”

Yet, five years later, Ellison has now completely closed the CRU. It is “a devastating blow to around 160 CRU applicants in Minnesota prisons whose cases were pending final investigation into their claims of wrongful conviction….[and having] completed just four investigations after receiving over 1,150 applications.”(Emphasis added.)

Hundreds of people remain incarcerated for crimes they did not commit, and Ellison’s promise to prevent future wrongful convictions is squashed.

Amy Klobuchar and Keith Ellison are seeking our votes to become Governor and to be re- elected as Attorney General. They must EARN THOSE VOTES.

Minnesota Wrongfully Convicted Judicial Reform (MNWCJR) takes bold and empowering action to address injustice, support wrongfully incarcerated folks and their loved ones, educate the community, and bring community-led reforms surrounding wrongful incarceration.

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MNWCJR Is Calling On Keith Ellison And Amy Klobuchar To Publicly Meet With MNWCJR And Our Impacted Families BEFORE The November Elections To Commit To Re-Establishing The CRU

Families Are Searching For Answers

Ellison is blaming the CRU’s closure on President Trump deciding to cut $500,000 in federal funding “to deprioritize identifying and correcting wrongful convictions.” Yet, a terse one-sentence statement on the AG’s Office website only states “budgetary constraints” that led to Ellison’s “very difficult decision to eliminate the Conviction Review Unit .”

Ellison has not fought to keep the CRU open, unlike taking the fight to Trump over ICE murders and assaults. Further, the Minnesota Legislature has been the “other main source of revenue ,” and there have been other funding sources. He chose to completely gut the CRU rather than cut back funds to at least keep the pending investigations going, which have been stopped in their tracks. Funding wasn’t the only problem. The CRU was besieged by conflicts with prosecutor offices and law enforcement, staff turnover, and the painfully long time it took to “work through applications .” MWCJR submitted a data request to address CRU's operations and future on August 18th. On September 29th, after six weeks of stonewalling, no information has been provided. Their only response is, “We are unable to provide a timeline for production” even before the November elections.

It all raises questions about the real reasons for shutting down the CRU, especially as it coincides with Senator Klobuchar’s run for Governor. She was hounded for her ‘tough on crime’ agenda as Hennepin County Attorney when she ran for president. The CRU is a stark reminder that - as AG Ellison stated - we “ know our system is imperfect .” In the past, Klobuchar has hyped convictions she prosecuted that drastically increased the incarceration of Black men. This included Marvin Haynes who was supported through his exoneration by MNWCJR, and Myon Burrell whose sentence was commuted. ICE rampages on immigrants are further exposing the decades-long failures of the justice system. Klobuchar wants no reminder of her hard line record.

Political Posturing Will Not Make Us Go Away AND It Won’t Get Votes

Amy Klobuchar and Keith Ellison have the opportunity to publicly commit to:

∙Address the fallout of harm by the unforeseen and rash dismantling of the CRU

∙Re-establish the CRU as a fully funded independent entity, shielded from political interference and guarantees conflict-free investigations

∙Pass the Marvina Haynes Exonerated Persons and Victim Act to support those affected by exonerations.

Learn more about Re-establishing the CRU and the Marvina Haynes Exonerated Persons And Victims Act.

Minnesota cannot allow people to fall through the cracks. Wrongful conviction affects more than the person incarcerated. Ellison himself stated, “ Prosecutions where justice is not served hurt everyone and benefit no one except the true perpetrator."

We are reaching out to directly impacted people, families, community organizers, advocates, faith leaders, attorneys, and everyone who believes that justice must include a meaningful way to correct wrongful convictions. We know that a commitment to the CRU requires COURAGE.

PLEASE SIGN THIS PETITION!

Tell Amy Klobuchar and Keith Ellison, Have The Courage To Meet And Publicly Commit To The CRU!