Sarah Gottlieb Publishes Article in the University of Colorado Law Review The article evaluates the efficacy of Conviction Integrity Units within prosecutors’ offices to uncover misconduct.

By Law Communications
January 16, 2026

Washington and Lee law professor Sarah Gottlieb has published an article in the University of Colorado Law Review. The article, “The Indelible Flaws of Conviction Integrity Units,” examines the role prosecutors’ offices play in uncovering wrongful convictions and their ability to effectively review claims of innocence. Her article conducts an in‑depth analysis of multiple Conviction Integrity Units and evaluates their efficacy.

“This article shows that Conviction Integrity Units operate under the guise of a legal reform while truly functioning as a cloak of legitimacy for prosecutors and the criminal legal system. Exonerations provide a veneer of successful operation, regardless of whether the state played a meaningful role. They encourage the misperception that deeply rooted systemic problems are a deviation from the status quo, caused by single bad actors and fixable by singular exonerations. They fail to provide adequate remedies for past harm, thereby failing to change current practices and prevent the same acts from occurring in the future. Conviction Integrity Units therefore perpetuate the criminal legal system’s inherent flaws. Misplaced reliance on them causes harm to individuals seeking review of their innocence claims and condones the causes of wrongful convictions they aim to undo,” writes Professor Gottlieb.

Third year law students Emma Claire Canterbury ‘26L and Allie Cyr ‘26L, both student attorneys in the Criminal Justice Clinic, served as research assistants on the article. The full article is available online at the W&L Law Scholarly Commons.

Professor Gottlieb is the director of the Criminal Justice Clinic, which focuses on zealous criminal defense of indigent clients. Law students working in the clinic represent clients who are charged with misdemeanor offenses, as well as clients who have potential post-conviction and innocence claims. Professor Gottlieb researches in the areas of criminal law and criminal procedure, with a focus on evaluating the efficacy of criminal legal reforms.

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