Application Requirements
In order to qualify for a conviction review by the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office, the case and applicant must meet the following criteria:
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- The conviction must have occurred in the Superior Court, County of Riverside;
- The conviction must not be based on a guilty plea or confession, unless there is a significant showing of coercion or lack of voluntariness;
- The applicant must be in custody, serving time on the sentence imposed for the asserted wrongful conviction;
- The conviction must be for a violent and/or serious felony as listed in Penal Code sections 667.5(c) or 1192.7 (c), or a felony with a significant sentence or a significant collateral consequence;
- The application for review must be based on credible and verifiable evidence of innocence;
- The application must not be based solely on asserted legal error or ineffective assistance of counsel; and
- The applicant agrees to fully cooperate with the District Attorney’s Office, which includes providing disclosure of all relevant information during the review process.
- Any other case where the office determines that justice requires review.
In general, the convicted offender must have continually maintained his/her innocence from the inception of the case.
Application Process
RivCo Conviction Review Application
Return the completed application and all other relevant information to the following address via U.S. Mail, fax, or email (please do not send original documents):
Riverside County District Attorney’s Office
Conviction Review Committee
3960 Orange Street
Riverside, CA 92501
Fax: 951-955-9566
Appellate-Unit@rivcoda.org
Restrictions
The Conviction Review Committee generally does not review non-innocence related claims such as those concerning procedural errors at trial, trial court rulings, or ineffective assistance of counsel. The Conviction Review Committee will not, as a general rule, reinvestigate claims where the convicted offender knew or should have personally known the basis of his or her current claim at the time of conviction and did not disclose it, or where the convicted offender now disavows his or her trial testimony and proffers a different theory of innocence.