Illinois Innocence Project

It was a great day for the today in , as Gov. JB Pritzker signed into law a measure that will modernize the state's law on financial compensation and bring it closer in line with standards that many other states have set. IIP clients and leaders have been part of the effort to get House Bill 3663 to the governor's desk, sharing stories of personal hardship and testifying as part of committee hearings.

Lead sponsors on the legislation were Sen. Elgie R. Sims, Jr. and State Representative Justin Slaughter. At least 27 jurisdictions nationally compensate at a rate at or above $50,000 per year. Research compiled by IIP for this process showed that the average rate per year for the nearly 600 Illinois residents exonerated since 1989 has been just $11,190 per year. The new law will provide compensation of up to $50,000 per year of wrongful imprisonment and $25,000 per year wrongfully spent on probation, parole or the s*x offender registry.

Said IIP Director Stephanie Kamel of today's signing, “After years of advocacy, HB 3663 marks a monumental shift in how the state compensates exonerees – innocent women and men who have been wrongfully convicted and imprisoned in IL prisons and received their Certificate of Innocence. By removing the current cap and enabling the court to award up to $50,000 for each year spent wrongfully imprisoned, the state more fully acknowledges the injustice suffered by exonerees and the state’s moral obligation to provide greater restitution as they work to rebuild their lives."

Shown in the photo here are, from left, IIP client and exoneree Brian Beals; exoneree James Kluppelberg; IIP Director Stephanie Kamel; Illinois State Sen. Elgie R. Sims, Jr., IIP volunteer Randy Witter; and exoneree Johnnie Savory.

More details can be found at: https://www.illinoissenatedemocrats.com/caucus-news/42-senator-elgie-r-sims-jr-news/7042-illinois-raises-compensation-for-wrongfully-incarcerated-under-landmark-sims-law

Continuing our series of recognizing new from this spring at the University of Illinois Springfield who included internships with IIP as part of their undergrad experience, today we recognize Rochester, Minn., native Claire Ruter, who earned her Bachelor of Arts in Legal Studies.

Of her IIP experience, Claire says "I most enjoyed the Lunch and Learns where I was able to hear the personal stories of and further understand the extreme harms caused by wrongful convictions. I was also blown away by the connections I built with my peers and mentors. The relationships I formed in addition to helping give a voice to those who may feel they don't have one made the work extremely rewarding."

Congratulations to Claire and best of luck to her this fall, when she plans on continuing her education by pursuing her law degree at Penn State Dickinson Law.

Do you know what "the Reid Technique" used by law enforcement agencies is? It's not something you want to become familiar with if you are an person who police believe to be a suspect in a crime. Exhibiting the hallmarks of tunnel vision, one of the key risk factors for , this hard-line interrogation technique has played a role in numerous cases that have ultimately become exonerations. “Innocence is not an option,” says one researcher critical of the Reid Technique. “Resistance is futile.”

Learn more about the technique, its history and how its used in this excellent article:

A famed police interrogation technique led to infamous false confessions in Nebraska. We still use it - Metro NCN The killing of Nancy Parker and the problems authorities encountered in their efforts to track down her killer made the front page of the Lincoln Star in December 1955.