External audit praises Attorney General Ellison’s Conviction Review Unit

Review calls Ellison’s Conviction Review Unit “a model for how statewide conviction integrity work should be done”

February 19, 2025 (SAINT PAUL)  — Today, Attorney General Ellison released the results of an external audit of his office’s Conviction Review Unit (CRU), which heaped praise on the CRU for, among other things, the number of cases they reviewed relative to their size and their impartiality and evidence-based investigation methods. The Quattrone Center for the Fair Administration of Justice conducted this first-of-its-kind audit at the behest of the CRU’s Advisory Board to learn what is working and what can be improved.

“I launched Minnesota’s Conviction Review Unit because no innocent person should serve time for a crime they did not commit,” said Attorney General Ellison. “I am extremely proud of the work our Conviction Review Unit has done, which had led to innocent people being released from prison, and I am grateful for the hard work and dedication of everyone in the Unit. Nobody benefits when the wrong person is locked up, except the perpetrator who committed the crime in the first place. I am grateful to the Quattrone Center for reviewing the work of our Conviction Review Unit, I’m grateful to the staff of our CRU as well as its fantastic advisory board, and I look forward to continuing the CRU’s important work into the future.”

The 41-page report notes  that, “while prosecutors are motivated to do justice by convicting the right person, and innocence lawyers are motivated to prove their clients’ innocence, the Minnesota CRU is clearly motivated to discover what really happened in cases it reviews and advocate for whatever relief, if any, is appropriate” (p 40).

Describing the CRU as a “model for how statewide conviction integrity work should be done,” (p 40) the report also praised the Minnesota CRU’s productivity, noting that “the number of applications the [Minnesota CRU] has received, processed, and reviewed since its formation is staggering” (p 17). The Report found that based on the number of cases reviewed, “the Minnesota CRU’s input and output far exceeds those of other statewide units” (p 30).    

To illustrate this productivity, the report includes two charts, on pages 18 and 19, which compare the Minnesota’s CRU’s productivity to the combined total of every other statewide Conviction Integrity Unit. The comparison shows that the Minnesota CRU has received 1,151 for review and has completed five investigations. The combined total of other statewide conviction integrity units has received 1,736 cases and has completed six investigations.

Additionally, the report lauded the investigative work of the CRU, noting that “the investigation stage for any CIU/CRU is complex, challenging, and time-intensive, particularly if that unit is committed to discovering the truth and obtaining relief for a person who has been wrongfully convicted” (p 16). The report found that the Minnesota CRU had demonstrated that kind of commitment by its handling of the Brian Pippitt and Edgar Barrientos cases. “In both cases,” the report concluded, “the unit used the Science-Based Investigative Interviewing model to conduct the investigation followed by extensive and detailed reporting regarding that investigation” (p 16). 

“I am grateful to Patricia Cummings and the Quatrone Center for their extensive review of the CRU’s efficacy and efficiency. As actors in the criminal justice system, we should welcome the opportunity to assess our processes in order improve our outcomes,” said Carrie Sperling, Assistant Attorney General and Director of the Minnesota CRU.

The Report’s Recommendations

In the short term, the report recommends (p 33) that Attorney General Ellison:

In the long term, the report recommends (p 37) the CRU:

Background on the Report

The review was conducted by Patricia Cummings and funded by the Quattrone Center for the Fair Administration of Justice.  Cummings, who is a professor and a former prosecutor, defense attorney, juvenile judge, and who headed the Dallas Conviction Integrity Unit (CIU) and the Philadelphia CIU--two of the most prominent and successful CIU’s in the nation—was given unfettered access to the CRU and its work. The Quattrone Center is based out of the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School. The Center conducts research into the causes of errors in the criminal justice system and makes recommendations on how to correct those errors.

History of Minnesota’s Conviction Review Unit

In October 2020, Attorney General Ellison announced the creation of the Conviction Review Unit in the Attorney General’s Office. Minnesota’s CRU is one of only a handful in the country that operates on a statewide basis through an Attorney General’s Office. 

In January 2021, Attorney General Ellison announced the 17 members of the Conviction Review Advisory Board, comprised of leading experts and practitioners in criminal justice.

In April 2021, Carrie Sperling started as the CRU Director.

In June 2021, the CRU Advisory Board ratified one of the most expansive charters of a conviction review unit in the United States. Minnesota’s charter sets forth the guiding principles, policies governing case review, case review criteria, and other policies governing the CRU. 

In August 2021, the CRU began accepting applications from individuals who claim they are wrongfully convicted. 

In January of 2023, the CRU’s work led to first and second-degree murder charges against Thomas Rhodes to be vacated. Rhodes was released from prison after 25 years. 

By September 2023, the CRU staff had grown to the size it currently is now, two attorneys, an investigator, a paralegal, and a legal assistant.

In June of 2024, the CRU recommended that first-degree murder conviction of Brian Pippitt be vacated.

In August of 2024, the CRU recommended that a murder conviction of Edgar Barrientos be vacated. Mr. Barrientos was subsequently released from prison and his murder conviction was vacated.