NEWS FLASH
Illinois Paid Extra $214 Million on Wrongful Convictions for Violent Crimes | In an attempt to close its multi-billion-dollar deficit, Illinois has tried everything from borrowing money from charities to making its inmates wear dirty underwear. But what the state should have looked at instead is its criminal justice system. An investigation found that wrongful convictions have added an extra $214 million to the taxpayers’ bill. The Better Government Association and the Center on Wrongful Convictions compiled the numbers:
Between 1989 and 2010, innocent people have served an extra 926 years behind bars in Illinois, allowing the true perpetrators to embark on “a collective crime spree that included 14 murders, 11 sexual assaults, 10 kidnappings and at least 62 other felonies.” The most commonly-cited cause behind the wrongful convictions is government error and misconduct by either police, state prosecutors or forensic experts.
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