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13 people in Illinois falsely convicted exonerated last year, report finds

By Associated Press

A new report shows 13 people in Illinois falsely convicted of crimes were exonerated last year.

The report by the National Registry of Exonerations indicates 11 of those exonerated had been convicted of murder.

According to the report, contributing factors in most of the convictions were false confessions or official misconduct.

The report says 149 people falsely convicted of crimes were exonerated nationwide last year. The total in 2015 was 10 more than in 2014, the year with the previous highest total.

Illinois had the most number of homicide exonerations, followed by New York with nine and Alaska with four.

The registry is a project of the University of Michigan Law School.

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