Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Conviction Integrity Section

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Conviction Integrity Section considers all claims of innocence filed with the Commonwealth. They are tasked with acting in an investigatory capacity and making recommendations based on their evaluation of all official claims of innocence. This involves a thorough investigation into the credibility and admissibility of each petition. Credible claims must be accompanied by new and verifiable evidence directly related to the case and not previously considered by the court. They may also demonstrate how technological advances allow for new testing that was not available at the time of the original conviction. The Conviction Integrity Section may only review cases under the jurisdiction of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania that involve currently incarcerated individuals. Staff do not review cases related to expungement of records for formerly incarcerated individuals or cases currently under review in Appellate Court. However, they will occasionally review other claims of wrongful conviction or excessive sentencing.