Did you miss our seminar in October on the Masters case and Touch DNA?Downstate Illinois Innocence Project®- What do we do?
Mission Statement
The Downstate Illinois Innocence Project has a two- part mission:
- to provide assistance to attorneys representing downstate Illinois inmates convicted of crimes they did not commit
- to prevent conviction of innocent persons in the future.
Goals
The Project goals are:
- exoneration of innocent persons convicted of felony crimes in downstate Illinois
- reform of the criminal justice system in Illinois and the nation through the education of students, citizens, and policy-makers about problems, causes, and possible reforms of a criminal justice system that results in conviction of the innocent.
How we accomplish our goals
- by doing research and investigations on cases where there is a strong likelihood that the inmates, even though convicted, are actually innocent.
- by conducting a variety of educational forums to educate citizens at large about the nature and severity of the problem of the conviction of the innocent.
Students working with the Project can earn credit through internships, Applied Studies, Graduate Assistantships, or by taking our class, "Conviction of the Innocent," LES 488-ECCE.