The state of Illinois has taken a significant step to confront and redress the issue of wrongful convictions by launching its first-ever Conviction Integrity Unit (CIU). Attorney General Kwame Raoul announced the establishment of this specialized unit, which aims to investigate claims of innocence and scrutinize whether new, credible evidence can prove that the wrong individuals are behind bars for crimes they did not commit.
During the unveiling of the CIU, Raoul was flanked by prominent county officials, such as newly-elected Cook County State’s Attorney Eileen O’Neill Burke and DuPage County State’s Attorney Bob Berlin. This joint effort highlights the collaborative nature of the initiative. The unit, as reported by
ABC7 Chicago
, was developed with the support and input of legal experts and 71 state’s attorneys across Illinois. Their collective insight has contributed to the foundational structure of the CIU.
“Our [unit] has the opportunity to ensure that justice was received in these cases and redress wrongful convictions where mistakes may have been made,” Raoul stated in a news conference covered by the
Chicago Sun-Times
. This initiative seeks to reevaluate convictions in forcible felony cases, looking for new evidence that was previously unexamined.
The establishment of the CIU is a response to the restrictions faced by smaller counties like Kane, where State’s Attorney Jamie Mosser struggled to establish a similar unit due to resource limitations. With the statewide unit, there is now a mechanism to ensure these cases gets the attention they necessitate. Kane County and others will be able to refer cases to this unit, magnifying their capacity to pursue justice accurately. “That word integrity, that means you have to have a belief in that conviction, a belief in the justice that happened at the end,” Mosser told the
Chicago Sun-Times
.
Accessibility to the CIU is facilitated through applications available in both English and Spanish, which can be found in libraries within the Illinois Department of Corrections facilities. Attorneys are also able to contact the unit directly to submit an application on behalf of their clients. As conviction integrity becomes a growing concern nationwide, Illinois now finds itself at the forefront of these efforts, with the CIU funded by the state and a substantial $1.5 million grant from the Justice Department.
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