June 18, 2011 - Better Government Association, Center for Wrongful Convictions

A TALE OF LIVES LOST, TAX DOLLARS WASTED AND JUSTICE DENIED

While the BGA/CWC study revealed that almost all of the wrongful convictions were caused by multiple factors, the most common cause was alleged government error and misconduct by police, prosecutors, and forensic officials. While 85 people were wrongfully incarcerated, the actual perpetrators were on a collective crime spree that included 14 murders and at least 83 other felonies.

Wrongful convictions of men and women for violent crimes in Illinois have cost taxpayers $214 million and have imprisoned innocent people for 926 years, according to a seven-month investigation by the Better Government Association and the Center on Wrongful Convictions.

The joint investigation, which tracked exonerations from 1989 through 2010, also determined that while 85 people were wrongfully incarcerated, the actual perpetrators were on a collective crime spree that included 14 murders, 11 sexual assaults, 10 kidnappings and at least 62 other felonies. Continue reading...