Wrongful imprisonment is one of the worst things that the American government can do to someone, but even with modern forensic technology and investigative techniques, it still happens. This is one such case, wherein four innocent African American men were charged and convicted for the horrific rape and double homicide of Carol Schmal and Lawrence Lionberg in Ford Heights, Illinois in 1978.

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Sources:

http://www.law.umich.edu/special/exoneration/Pages/about.aspx

http://www.law.umich.edu/special/exoneration/Documents/Exonerations_in_2019_Infographic.pdf

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ford_Heights_Four

https://www.nwitimes.com/uncategorized/first-witness-testifies-in-schmal-case/article_916c1f97-d9f3-5af8-acdc-60f6700ca790.html

https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1997-04-26-9704260068-story.html

https://www.law.umich.edu/special/exoneration/Pages/casedetail.aspx?caseid=3433

https://www.law.umich.edu/special/exoneration/Pages/casedetail.aspx?caseid=3561

https://www.law.umich.edu/special/exoneration/Pages/casedetail.aspx?caseid=2982

https://www.law.umich.edu/special/exoneration/Pages/casedetail.aspx?caseid=3744

https://www.law.umich.edu/special/exoneration/Pages/casedetail.aspx?caseid=3439

https://law.justia.com/cases/illinois/supreme-court/1989/62845-7.html

https://law.justia.com/cases/illinois/supreme-court/1995/73274-7.html

https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1996-07-04-mn-21148-story.html

https://www.idoc.state.il.us/subsections/search/inms_print.asp?idoc=K56043

“The Psychological and Legal Aftermath of False Arrest and Imprisonment” by Robert I. Simon, M.D.

“Psychological Consequences of Wrongful Conviction and Imprisonment” by Adrian Grounds

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