Office of the
Illinois Attorney General
Kwame Raoul

Description: 

The Illinois Attorney General Conviction Integrity Unit (CIU) is dedicated to pursuing justice by addressing wrongful convictions throughout the State. The CIU identifies, independently reviews, and investigates post-conviction claims of actual innocence to determine whether new, credible evidence substantially proves that a convicted defendant was not the person who committed the offense. The CIU will provide statewide leadership and coordination among local conviction integrity units, prosecutors, defense counsel, law enforcement, and other stakeholders in the implementation of system-wide best practices to further a culture of integrity, transparency, and public trust in the criminal justice system.

Responsibilities:

The post-conviction case review process is a specialized, time-consuming legal process that involves the following specific duties:

• Identifying and evaluating post-conviction innocence claims from pro se defendants, defense counsel, prosecutors, law enforcement, or other sources to determine whether plausible claims of factual innocence exist and whether claims need to be investigated further;
• Conducting thorough review of post-conviction case evidence, including law enforcement and litigation files, trial/post-trial and/or appellate records, testimony, and other evidence in support of wrongful conviction claims;
• Assisting in the testing the validity of forensic, DNA, and other types of evidence;
• Partnering and collaborating with local prosecutors, law enforcement agencies, defense counsel, and other stakeholders in the review of these cases;
• Determining acts and sources of any intentional or unintentional wrongdoing in the development and prosecution of these cases;
• Making recommendations on courses of action and remedies, if any, based on review of these cases and findings (g., exoneration);
• Performing other tasks that may be assigned as needed to complete the post-conviction review process.

Qualifications:

Candidates should have an in-depth knowledge of the principles of criminal law, rules of evidence, and judicial procedures. Candidates must be licensed to practice law in Illinois at the time of application. The ideal candidate will have a minimum of three (3) years of prosecution, innocence project and/or criminal defense, or other relevant post-graduate legal experience. Ideal candidates will interact with a diverse group of colleagues and stakeholders. Candidates must be hard-working, organized, communicate effectively, and have a strong interest in promoting conviction integrity. Travel for case review and investigations may be required.

Salary:

Salaries are commensurate with the number of years of practice as a licensed attorney and start at $76,008.