The heroes of the wrongfully convicted

Heroes of the wrongfully convicted
For decade, NU center has shaken up justice system
By Steve Mills Tribune reporter
November 16, 2008
The Center on Wrongful Convictions at the Northwestern University School of Law has won freedom for nearly three dozen innocent people and, in that often difficult process, changed how many people think about the state's criminal justice system.

In the 10 years since the center was founded in 1998, it has played a leading role in the exonerations of 19 people in Illinois. Before that, members of its staff were crucial to 14 exonerations. Those include 13 inmates who had been under a death sentence, as well as the country's first DNA-based exoneration, Gary Dotson, who had been convicted of rape.

Among the high-profile cases the center or its founders have tackled and won are those of the Ford Heights Four, exonerated in the 1978 murders of a suburban couple, and Rolando Cruz, exonerated in the 1983 rape and murder of 10-year-old Jeanine Nicarico of Naperville. Three others are detailed on this page.

Through its work, the Center on Wrongful Convictions has made people think twice about claims that the system always works. It has prompted some top city, county and state officials to reconsider their views on the death penalty and other aspects of criminal justice
click link for more