University of Illinois to offer free course on wrongful conviction

SPRINGFIELD - The University of Illinois Springfield plans to offer a free online class examining the issues surrounding wrongful convictions.

The university said Wednesday that online registration is underway for the six-week course, which begins in February and is open to the public. Participants need not be enrolled at the university.

It will examine the scope and causes of wrongful convictions and the difficulties in trying to free innocent people after they have been convicted. It also will consider strategies to prevent future wrongful convictions.

The course will be taught by Assistant Professor Gwen Jordan, who also is a staff attorney for the Illinois Innocence Project.

Scores of inmates in Illinois and elsewhere have been freed from prison after serving years for crimes they did not commit.