Illinois is the state with the most wrongful convictions. As time goes by, technology advances, there will be new ways to examine evidence and data. In my winter semester, I took a class that focused on wrongful convictions. There are many factors that cause this, such as physical evidence, coercion, and false testimonies. While all of these are important when in comes to wrongful convictions, evidence and false testimonies peaked my interest. Hair and fiber evidence are the most commonly used pieces of evidence to convict someone, however, they are shown to also be the pieces of evidence that most lead to wrongful convictions. A strand of hair cannot uniquely identify a person, but it can narrow down a suspect pool. Hair strands have many type of characteristics, such as color, length, and texture. This can be determined macroscopically. Hair can also be examined microscopically to determine more characteristics. However, forensic scientists do not agree on which characteristics to look for. Some say they can determine who the hair belongs to by only looking for 5-7 characteristics, while others need 20-30. Overall, hair evidence should not be used to convict someone. This is a big problem in the criminal justice system because sometimes, hair is the only piece of evidence they have. Similarly, fiber cannot be used to convict someone. Fiber is very small and can easily be transferred from surface to surface. Additionally, when fiber evidence is analyzed, it can only determine the class of fiber it is, not the specific artifact it came from, especially if the piece of cloth was mass produced. The only way to determine the exact place the evidence came from is to actually see the transfer of fibers or if you can connect a chunk of fabric to another, like a puzzle piece. There are no set rules for forensic scientists to follow when handling fiber evidence, so often times it can be altered and messed with if not handled correctly. Eyewitness testimonies have also been used a lot in the criminal justice system to convict people. These testimonies, however, are often times based on memory. Memory can be altered very easily, it is not like a tape recorder where you can pause or rewind on a memory. Many factors can affect the way a person remembers something, like if the place was light or dark, if there was a weapon, what time of day it was, and so on. The media and officers can also mess with someone's memory be feeding them information about the crime. One method that has been used to get more accurate testimonies is the cognitive interview method. This method consists of the witness closing their eyes and describing what they see, while the interview asks open ended questions rather than yes or no questions. I am currently in my third year of college and I plan to write an honors thesis on the topic of wrongful convictions, keeping the factors listed above in mind. Considering that I live in the state with the most wrongful convictions, I hope to present my thesis to people that work in the criminal justice system. This will be a small step forward to reviewing how evidence is being handled and to make sure the rates of wrongful convictions in Illinois decrease.

I am currently a criminology major, and the major goal I'm focusing on currently is working towards my bachelor's degree. Additionally, after achieving this goal, my next big goal is to earn a master's in psychology. Although these goals seem big, I am solely focusing on my schoolwork. I have always valued my education and I have always wanted to make something for myself. In high school, I would procrastinate a lot. However, now that I am in college, I am doing my best to manage my time wisely and I am also prioritizing school. I also want to obtain an internship over the summer, so for that, I am researching and gathering internship opportunities for criminology majors. I have only gathered around three, but I am still searching for more.

Joy is something that brings you peace and relaxation. I don't think it necessarily means being happy every day because we all have bad days now and then. To me, joy is being relaxed and content with myself in the present, not the future. I've never considered the question of how I seek joy in my life. I would say the way I do is to keep myself grounded and organized. This helps me feel relaxed because I won't be stressing too much about upcoming events and appointments. Additionally, reading books and listening to music helps keep me content for the moment. People seek joy in many different ways. For others, they might seek joy in spending time with their loved ones, watching movies, or even going to concerts.

There are many forms that people can show they love someone. It isn't always telling someone "I love you", it can also be as simple as making them a cup of coffee every morning or just being there for them for mental support. At times I feel bad, because most of my family show love by being physical with one another. I don't hug or kiss my family as often as they'd like, but I make sure they feel loved regardless. I make sure to do small nice things for them every day as a way to show them that I love them. If I'm up before my mom, I make sure to make her a cup of coffee before she gets up. My dad likes working on his trucks, so I help him with tasks or make small talk with him while he is doing something so that he isn't alone. For my older sisters it can be as simple as spitting up a pack of pens, or buying them small things for them. The thing I do the most often though is keeping my parent's company. Since I don't see my friends as often, I usually tend to reminded many of my friends to stay hydrated and to take it easy if they're stressed. I've always found it hard to express my emotions to other people. I grew up thinking that the only way to show someone you love them was by actually telling them. I don't know why this phrase was always awkward for me to say, so sometimes I felt that I was being rude and inconsiderate if I didn't say this to my friends or family. However, over the years my parents taught me that there are many ways to show someone you love them.