A Cook County judge has overturned the wrongful murder conviction of Brian Beals, who spent 35 years incarcerated for a crime he did not commit. The dismissal of all charges against Beals marks the end of a legal battle that began in 1988 when he was wrongly accused of murdering a 6-year-old boy in Chicago's Englewood neighborhood.
The Illinois Innocence Project (IIP), based at the University of Illinois Springfield (UIS), held its first mandated statewide Wrongful Conviction Awareness and Avoidance (WCAA) training for University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Police Training Institute (PTI) recruit officers on Friday, March 31, in Urbana.
It's time to reconnect and celebrate! Join the Illinois Innocence Project at our Defenders of the Innocent event to support our fight to free the innocent, and honor the many freed and exonerated guests in attendance.
The Exoneree Band returns to the stage with special guest Amanda Knox. Freedom and a love of music bind these exonerees who collectively lost 100+ years of their lives to wrongful imprisonment for crimes they did not commit.
A Cook County judge vacated the wrongful murder conviction of longtime UIS Illinois Innocence Project (IIP) client Marilyn Mulero and dismissed all charges against her. Mulero, a victim of notorious former Chicago Detective Reynaldo Guevara, spent nearly three decades in prison for a 1992 murder she did not commit.
On May 18, 2009, supporters of the Downstate Illinois Innocence Project gathered at the Executive Mansion to honor two recipients who have been tireless in their support of justice:
The Third Annual Defenders of the Innocent Award Reception was held on May 24, 2010 at the Illinois Executive Mansion.
The Downstate Illinois Innocence Project at the University of Illinois Springfield honored four individuals with Defender of the Innocent Awards on May 16, 2011. The awards were handed out as part of a 10th anniversary celebration and fundraiser at the Inn at 835 in Springfield.
IIP provides all legal and advocacy services at no cost to clients and their families. Your financial support is vital to our efforts to correct miscarriages of justice and bring freedom to the wrongfully convicted. We cannot do it without you.
Undergraduate and graduate degree-seeking students at UIS can participate in Illinois Innocence Project activities and earn credit in several ways:
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Illinois Innocence Project
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University of Illinois Springfield
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Springfield, IL 62703-5407