Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul announces statewide Conviction Integrity Unit
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul is launching a statewide effort aimed at preventing wrongful convictions.
Raoul on Tuesday announced the creation of a new Conviction Integrity Unit, which will be tasked with investigating claims of actual innocence in violent felony cases where new and credible evidence of innocence has been discovered, or when new technology enables investigators to test or retest old evidence.
In cases where the unit determines someone has been wrongfully convicted, they will also seek to identify the true perpetrator of the crime.
"Wrongful convictions diminish faith in our criminal justice system, and they put victims and public safety at risk by allowing the true perpetrators to escape unpunished," Raoul said.
In order to be eligible for review, the case must involve a forcible felony conviction in state court. The person convicted must make a claim of actual innocence, and must still be serving their sentence. Their claim also must include newly discovered evidence that wasn't presented at trial or during appeals, or old evidence that was not tested at trial. There also may not be any pending appeals in the case.
The U.S. Department of Justice gave the attorney general's office a $1.5 million grant to support the unit.
Raoul said his office met with 71 county state's attorneys to gather input and offer resources in reviewing cases.
According to the National Registry of Exonerations, 555 people have been exonerated for crimes in Illinois since 1989. Murder is the top wrongfully convicted crime nationwide and statewide.