Second in a series featuring the Illinois Innocence Project at UIS during its 25th Anniversary.
The Illinois Innocence Project is marking its 25th anniversary with a renewed focus on preventing wrongful convictions—starting with training. Associate Director Mark Beach and exoneree-turned-advocate Kristine Bunch discuss the the groundbreaking training program reshaping how law enforcement approaches investigations.
Beach, a retired police officer, now leads the organization’s Wrongful Conviction Awareness and Avoidance Training Program, which has reached more than 6,500 recruits across Illinois. The program pairs legal experts, law enforcement professionals, and exonerees to highlight the leading causes of wrongful convictions—such as eyewitness misidentification, false confessions, faulty forensic evidence, misconduct, and incentivized testimony—while offering practical strategies to prevent them.
For Bunch, the mission is deeply personal. Wrongfully convicted in 1996 after a fire that claimed her young son’s life, she spent 17 years in prison before faulty forensic conclusions were overturned. Today, she shares her story with recruits, putting a human face on systemic error. “We’re just regular people,” she emphasizes, challenging assumptions about who ends up behind bars.
The training fosters dialogue over division, encouraging officers to approach cases—and even past investigations—with openness rather than defensiveness. As Beach notes, no system is perfect, but collaboration can reduce risk.
With Illinois leading the way, the program is now expanding to veteran officers and drawing interest nationwide—offering hope that fewer innocent lives will be lost to wrongful convictions in the future.
Transcribed by AI with human review for readability.
Randy Eccles:
This is Community Voices on 91.9 UIS. I’m co-host Randy Eccles. We’re always happy to feature things happening in the community. Today, we’re joined by our friends from the Illinois Innocence Project, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year. We’ll be doing a series of interviews with them throughout the year to talk about their mission and work.
Joining us are Marc Beach and Kristine Bunch. Marc, explain your role with the Innocence Project.
Marc Beach:
I’m the Associate Director of our Wrongful Conviction Awareness and Avoidance training program. I travel to police academies across Illinois and train officers on the issue of wrongful convictions.
Randy Eccles:
Kristine, how did you get involved?
Kristine Bunch:
I was wrongfully convicted in 1996 and spent 17 years in prison. After my exoneration, I was invited to speak at UIS. I kept coming back and eventually became involved in training. When the program expanded statewide, I was hired as the speaker’s bureau coordinator and brought in other exonerees to help train officers.
Randy Eccles:
Marc, what does the training focus on?
Marc Beach:
We raise awareness about wrongful convictions and teach best practices to prevent them. We cover common contributing factors like eyewitness misidentification, false confessions, faulty forensics, misconduct, and incentivized testimony. We also share real case studies.
Randy Eccles:
Kristine, did those factors play a role in your case?
Kristine Bunch:
Yes. Faulty forensics led investigators to wrongly label a fire as arson. Later, it was proven to be an accidental electrical fire. That experience showed me how devastating errors can be.
Randy Eccles:
What impact does sharing your story have?
Kristine Bunch:
It’s powerful. Officers see that we’re just regular people. It also helps exonerees heal by turning their experience into something positive.
Randy Eccles:
Marc, what do you hope officers take away?
Marc Beach:
An open mind. This system isn’t perfect. If we can move from “that’s impossible” to “tell me more,” we can start improving outcomes and reducing risk.
Randy Eccles:
How has the training been received?
Marc Beach:
Very positively. Recruits are engaged, and even experienced officers, prosecutors, and judges respond well. The goal now is expanding the program further.
Kristine Bunch:
We can make a difference. By working together and thinking differently, we can reduce wrongful convictions and improve the system.
Randy Eccles:
Marc?
Marc Beach:
No one wants innocent people in prison. By collaborating and continuing this work, we can make the system better.
Randy Eccles:
Marc Beach and Kristine Bunch from the Illinois Innocence Project—thanks for joining us, and congratulations on 25 years.
Marc Beach:
Thank you, Randy.
Kristine Bunch:
Thank you.
