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Springfield-based group helps free innocent man from prison

DNA has helped exonerate more than 300 people in the US. Among the most recent was Christopher Abernathy, freed last week from a northern Illinois prison where he served almost 30 years for rape and murder.  

The Illinois Innocence Project, based at the University of Illinois Springfield, provided DNA testing in that case. It's founder, Larry Golden, says in the past two decades, he's seen a change in how people view the justice system and its ability to make mistakes:

"The growth of the innocence movement and the exposure to the mistakes that have been made, particularly years ago in the practices of police, yes we are in a very different place today."

The Illinois Innocence Project has helped exonerate 7 people since it was founded. Golden says it receives on average one request for help each day, either from attorneys, inmates or family members.