The flags on the University of Illinois Springfield quad tell the story: almost three thousand of them, each representing a wrongful conviction. They’re black, except for the 359 blue ones, representing those in Illinois.
Christine Ferree, program director of case evaluation of the Illinois Innocence Project, says she is not trying to help criminals get off the hook.
“We only take claims of actual, factual innocence,” Ferree said. “We get about 350 requests a year. Our requests are vetted by our staff. But there is what seems like there’s a possibility that there was a wrongful conviction, that they’re claiming actual innocence.”
This story appeared on WTAX on Oct. 1, 2021.