Aug. 19, 2025
Paved with Good Intentions: Missouri’s Prosecutor-Initiated Relief Statute and the Perils of Criminal Justice Innovation
The road to hell is paved with good intentions, especially when it comes to criminal justice reform. Section 547.031 of the Revised Statutes of Missouri allows circuit attorneys to file motions vacating convictions based on innocence evidence—an ambitious reform that In re Circuit Attorney, 22nd Judicial Circuit ex rel. Christopher Dunn reveals as fundamentally flawed. This Note argues that Missouri’s prosecutor-initiated relief statute creates more problems than it solves, resulting in a framework that is more complex, less efficient, and potentially less effective than the traditional post-conviction mechanisms it was meant to supplement.
