The state attorney general and the state police superintendent announced Thursday the creation of a new unit that will handle wrongful convictions.

During the news conference Thursday, Attorney General Gurbir Grewal and the superintendent said the Conviction Review Unit will start work immediately. The unit will examine innocence claims and identify trends that led to wrongful convictions.

In order for the unit to review a case, the claims of innocence must have merit.

"This is the last fail-safe that we offer here through the conviction review unit," says Grewal. "It's an added check to ensure that justice is being administered in a fair and impartial manner across the state and that innocent individuals are not being prosecuted and convicted of crimes, and that guilty folks aren't on the streets."

Grewal also created a network aimed at solving cold cases.

The Conviction Review Unit will be led by Carolyn Murray, a former Superior Court judge and former Essex County prosecutor. Murray resigned from the bench to take the job and was sworn in by Grewal at the news conference.