Sixth District Appeals Court Judge Gene A. Zmuda will chair Conviction Integrity Task Force (file photo).

Sixth District Appeals Court Judge Gene A. Zmuda will chair Conviction Integrity Task Force (file photo).

Sixth District Appeals Court Judge Gene A. Zmuda, whose advocacy includes criminal justice and pretrial reform, has been chosen by Chief Justice Maureen O’Connor to chair the new Ohio Task Force on Conviction Integrity and Postconviction Review.

The announcement coincides with the appointment of 24 members of the task force, which the chief justice has charged with recommending improvements in criminal conviction procedures and the ways that reviews are conducted after a conviction.

“I’m happy to report that Judge Zmuda will chair the task force. He will be leading a diverse and distinguished group from all sectors of the criminal justice system,” Chief Justice O’Connor said. “This will be a task force that understands the challenges inherent in improving fairness and justice for our citizens. Exoneration data tell us that we need to make improvements in order to serve justice in our state.”

Supreme Court Justice Michael Donnelly, a long-time advocate for the study of conviction integrity in Ohio, will serve as an ex-officio member.

“I’m quite honored to be asked to serve as the chair, and I applaud the chief justice for forming the task force,” Judge Zmuda said.

“Those wrongly convicted of a crime shouldn’t spend one day, let alone months or years, behind bars,” he said. “Whatever policies and procedures can be adopted to eliminate that tragic injustice, should be.”

Chief Justice O’Connor announced the creation of the task force in February. Its startup has been delayed by the coronavirus crisis. The task force is now targeting August for its first meeting.

The task force will “study the current structure – the statutes and rules – of conviction procedures and post-conviction work in Ohio,” Judge Zmuda said. “We will look at the processes for individuals who are convicted, but still claim their innocence, including the rules and statutes governing post-conviction appeals.”

“We’re not the first state looking at this issue, so we will see what we can learn from other states that are further along,” he said.

The duties of the Task Force on Conviction Integrity and Postconviction Review will include:

• Analyzing the post-conviction review processes in Ohio and other states
• Analyzing the work of innocence commissions and conviction integrity units
• Offering recommendations about DNA testing and “other advances in science”
• Recommending revisions to laws and Supreme Court rules
• Offering recommendations regarding education for judges, prosecutors and defense attorneys about conviction issues
• And offering “any other recommendations the task force deems appropriate to further public trust and confidence in the post-conviction review process.”

Public notice of all task force meetings will be posted on the Supreme Court website and will be open to the public.

The task force will issue a report of its findings and recommendations to the chief justice and the justices of the Court by early 2021.

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