Detroit sexual assault kit backlog
In 2009 Worthy began working on resolving a massive backlog of unprocessed rape test kits in Detroit. Despite years of refusal to even allow assistant prosecutors to look for them for over a decade.; On August 17, 2009, assistant prosecutor Robert Spada discovered a massive number of kits sitting in a warehouse that theConviction integrity unit
After wanting to have a Conviction Integrity Unit (CIU) for many years Worthy received the funding with the support of Wayne County Executive Warren C. Evans, from the Wayne County Commission in 2017. The Wayne County Prosecutor's Office CIU became operational in January 2018 and has received over 700 requests for investigation. It is headed by Director Valerie Newman. "We are committed to taking these new claims of innocence seriously and we need any and all additional resources we can muster,” Worthy said. The Conviction Integrity Unit (the "CIU") investigates claims of innocence, to determine whether there is clear and convincing new evidence that the convicted defendant was not the person who committed the conviction offense. As stated in the American Bar Association standards, Rule 3.8(h), "When a prosecutor knows of clear and convincing evidence establishing that a defendant in the prosecutor's jurisdiction was convicted of an offense that the defendant did not commit, the prosecutor shall seek to remedy the conviction." CIU makes recommendations to the Wayne County Prosecutor about the appropriate remedy (if any) that should result from its findings. The Wayne County Prosecutor makes all final decisions about whether a remedy should be provided to a person seeking review by the CIU. The CIU is not a court and its work is not governed by court rules of procedure. CIU investigates claims of actual innocence based on new evidence; it does not function as a "13th juror" to review factual questions that already have been decided by a jury. Its mission is to determine whether new evidence shows that an innocent person has been wrongfully convicted of a crime, and to recommend steps to rectify such situations. As of June 2020, there have been 19 prisoners who have filed claims and been released from prison. Prosecutor Worthy Dismisses Charges Against 10-Year-Old On April 29, 2019, it was alleged that a 10-year-old child, struck another child in the face with a ball during a game of Tips at Ruth Eriksson Elementary, in Canton, Michigan. The child who was struck in the face sustained a black eye, bruised nose and later received treatment in the ER for a concussion. According to the injured child's mother, the boy had previous head injuries. The 10-year-old was charged by a Juvenile Unit assistant prosecutor with a juvenile misdemeanor, Aggravated Assault. The decision was not reviewed or approved by any supervisor which is required under office protocol. On July 31, 2019, the case was permanently dismissed by the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office. Prosecutor Worthy said, “The charge in this case was a mistake in judgment by this office, even though it was rectified by permanently dismissing the case on July 31, 2019, prior to the first scheduled court proceeding. To be clear, my office will not be refiling this petition, nor was it ever the intent of our office to do so. I have taken this extremely seriously, and concrete steps have already been made. I am currently reviewing the policies and procedures of our Juvenile Division and re-enforcing internal measures to prevent a similar matter from occurring in the future.”Juvenile mediation program
WCPO Partners with the Wayne County Dispute Resolution Center on New Program "I am pleased today to announce a partnership between the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office and the Wayne County Dispute Resolution Center. Together we will offer, through mediation, an alternative to charging adolescents and teens with certain offenses. Instead, they will meet with stakeholders, including the crime victims, to craft a solution short of formal charges. Wrap around services, counseling, and other options may be included in the solution. This program gives crime victims a voice and opportunity to impact the lives of the youth who victimized them. Collaboratively, it is our hope that if they successfully complete the recommended course of action, fewer juveniles will find themselves charged with a delinquency offense that may result in a delinquency record", said Prosecutor Worthy. Why Talk It Out? Every year the Juvenile Division of the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office (WCPO) handles thousands of juvenile delinquency cases. While many of these matters are set on the formal court docket of the Third Circuit Family Division, there is a new alternate path available on appropriate cases. Prosecutor Worthy, in partnership with the Wayne County Dispute Resolution Center (WCDRC), offers select youth the option to participate in a unique juvenile mediation program called Talk It Out.* Although it is imperative that each juvenile who commits a delinquent act is held responsible for his or her conduct, Prosecutor Worthy recognizes the negative impact that juvenile adjudications may have on the future of young people. Those consequences may include: suspension or expulsion from school; the loss of college scholarships or the denial of college admission; and the required disclosure of a delinquency record on a job or military application. The WCPO has created a program that balances the need for delinquent youth to accept responsibility for their actions and the interests of delinquency victims seeking justice. With the assistance of an experienced WCDRC facilitator, Talk It Out will bring selected juvenile offenders and their victims together with a focus on repairing the harm resulting from the minor's behavior. The goal of Talk It Out is to provide an alternative to formal prosecution that gives delinquent youth an opportunity to take responsibility and make amends, while also giving the victims a forum to be heard and healed. Which juveniles are eligible to participate in Talk It Out? Upon successful referral by the WCPO, participants in Talk It Out are expected to take responsibility for their delinquent behavior and take reasonable steps to repair and/or alleviate harm done to the victims of their conduct. These juveniles must also be willing to hear from victims, including how their actions have harmed or impacted the victim. WCPO Assistant Prosecuting Attorneys (APAs) will evaluate new delinquency complaints to determine which cases are appropriate to recommend for Talk It Out. Except for a prior status or ordinance offense, only matters that constitute a juvenile's first delinquency violation will be considered. Examples of delinquency offenses to be considered for Talk It Out referral include minor property damage, theft, or simple assault. Eligible cases must have no more than one victim, and a parent/guardian of the juvenile must be willing to transport their child to all meetings scheduled as a part of the mediation process. Each victim will be contacted by an APA and must agree to the referral and mediation process before a case is accepted into the Talk It Out program. Richard Wershe, Jr. ditThe 2017 documentary White Boy detailed evidence that high-ranking Detroit officials engaged in a decades-long conspiracy to unjustly imprison Richard Wershe Jr., a former FBI informant arrested for possession of 8 kg of cocaine in 1987, when Wershe was only 17 years old. Despite being a non-violent offender and a juvenile at the time of his sentencing, Wershe was held in a Michigan prison for 29 years. In September 2015, Wayne County Circuit Judge Dana Hathaway ruled that Wershe's life sentence was unconstitutional and that he should be re-sentenced. Prosecutor Worthy objected to Hathaway's ruling, and Wershe lost his appeal for re-sentencing. 7 Worthy objected because Wershe was charged and convicted of operating a car theft ring in Florida when he was in prison there. One subject interviewed suggested that she was motivated by her "personal and professional" ties to former Detroit City Council President Gil Hill, subject of an FBI investigation for which Wershe was an informant. This has never been corroborated in any way and Worthy has denied this. On August 26, 2016, Worthy changed her posisiton and did not object to his parole from the Michigan Department of Corrections and he was released by the Michigan Parole Board in July 2017. See www.clickonDetroit.com kevin dietz reporter, August 26, 2016, He was then turned over to the Florida State Prison to serve time for operating a car theft ring. He was released from Florida State Prison on July 20, 2020. He will remain on parole in that case until August 22, 2021.Michigan Women's Hall of Fame
In 2018 after a distinguished career with many awards Worthy was inducted for her years of tireless work as the Wayne county Prosecutor and specifically for her outstanding work on resolving the Detroit Sexual Assault Kit Backlog. The other inductees were Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha, Agatha Biddle and Clara Stanton Jones.References
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