Larry Golden's presentation on the renowned Illinois Innocence Project provided the perfect launch for our Club's first lunch meeting at Maldaners Upstairs on February 16. We extended a warm welcome to longtime-friends Larry and Yosh Golden. Yosh was a long-time member of our Rotary Club, and Larry often accompanied her at our meetings. They generously continue to participate in our Rotary Citrus Fundraiser. This special lunch meeting attracted a full house of club members and guests and was open to visitors.
Larry founded the Illinois Innocence Project at UIS in 2001 with a goal to exonerate innocent people convicted of crimes and remarked that he was inspired by a 1998 meeting at Northwestern University that featured 40 prisoners who had been on Death Row, but were exonerated using new DNA evidence. Larry exclaimed that 10% of the people serving prison sentences are innocent.
Unlike other universities, he provided undergraduates at UIS the unique opportunity to do research on the cases, and later expanded the project to include students from Southern Illinois. By the end of 2025, the Illinois Innocence Project had exonerated 33 individuals, some of whom had served prison sentences as long as 35 years. The UIS Illinois Innocence Project program has also trained about 6,000 police cadets through their innovative Wrongful Conviction Awareness and Avoidance Program.
Larry indicated that there are about 70 Innocence Projects across the country, but the most renowned project is the Illinois Innocence Project at UIS. We can all take great pride in this program. The Illinois Innocence Project will celebrate its 25th Anniversary with the "Defenders of the Innocent Gala: Celebrating 25 Years of Freedom and Reform" on Novenber 7, 2026 at the Crowne Plaza in Springfield. They are currently looking for sponsors for the event.
Larry joked that he was happy to pose for his mug shot!
