Thursday, June 23, 2011
Kenneth Adams spent is years in prison in Illinois for a murder he didn't commit
When the criminal justice system in Illinois convicted the wrong person, innocent people collectively lost hundreds of years of freedom—while the real culprits went on to commit nearly a hundred new crimes, including murders and rapes.
A joint investigation by the Better Government Association and the Center on Wrongful Convictions at Northwestern found that in 85 cases of wrongful conviction over a 20-year period, innocent men and women wound up serving 926 years in prison. The study estimated the judicial failures cost Illinois taxpayers $214 million.
At least 42 of the wrongly convicted served more than a decade behind bars, and five lost a quarter century or close to it.
Meanwhile, those responsible for the crimes in question continued to prey on society, committing at least 94 felonies, including 14 murders, 11 sexual assaults, 10 kidnappings, 19 armed robberies, and 40 other charges, such as attempted murder of federal officers and aggravated battery.
-Noel Brinkerhoff
A Tale of Lives Lost, Tax Dollars Wasted and Justice Denied (by John Conroy and Rob Warden, Better Government Association)
A Devastating Toll: Lost Freedom, Family and Friends (by John Conroy and Rob Warden, Better Government Association)
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