The following story was reported by WAND-TV on Oct. 2, 2024.
"Today is International Wrongful Conviction Day and the team at the Illinois Innocence Project (IIP) recognized the day by placing 3,588 flags into the ground, each representing a person who was wrongfully convicted and exonerated in the United States since 1989.
Of those flags, 555, or 15%, represent individuals from Illinois who were exonerated.
'While we are the exoneration capital, that also means, , that we're the wrongful conviction capital of the US,' said Kaylan Schardan, Intake and Staff Attorney for IIP. 'We've done a lot of amazing work, bringing reforms and awareness to wrongful conviction. But we do have a long way to go.'
Schardan said having IIP on campus at UIS provides a great way for students to get connected with the program and learn about wrongful conviction, while still exploring their career options. Schardan herself started as an intern in the program as a student at UIS, and now is able to pass her knowledge and experience onto her students."