Ohio Innocence Project Fights for Wrongly Convicted Inmates

The Ohio Innocence Project is a non-profit program run through the University of Cincinnati College of Law, which fights to free innocent inmates who were convicted of crimes they didn’t commit.

The program, incepted in 2003, uses new DNA technology and similar evidence to cast doubt and overturn criminal convictions. Mark Godsey, co-founder of the program and University of Cincinnati law professor claims that evidence, not authorities, should be trusted in cases like these.

“It’s our goal to never accept the word of a prosecutor, judge, or trial court,” Godsey says of the Project who gets eight to 10 letters a day from inmates and their family members seeking help.

According to Academic Director Jenny Carroll, the Project rejects almost 50 percent of requests based on a number of factors, including the inmates’ guilt. The program has a system that protects them from advocating for an inmate who is actually guilty. “We’re not accepting these cases unless we really believe they are innocent,” she says.

Carroll also adds that the Project specifically looks for criminal cases in which DNA technology could be helpful.

Since 2003, the Ohio Innocent Project has successfully freed several wrongly convicted inmates, garnering national attention. One of the most high profile cases involved Clarence Elkins who was wrongly convicted of murder and rape and spent seven years in prison. Elkins was exonerated last year with the help of the Project.  

“I think our judicial system is far from perfect and there are times when it just fails,” says Rita Reece whose husband, Gary, is on parole with the group’s help after serving 25 years in prison for rape and attempted murder.

“Without the Innocence Project, innocent people are spending long times in prison. It’s very necessary for people who fall through the crack and don’t get a fair shake in court.” Reece says.

While the Innocence Project has received praise from inmates and their families, many law enforcement officers, judges, and prosecutors believe the program undermines their work to find criminals and bring justice.

However, some authorities respect the work of the Project claiming that it puts a check on the criminal justice system.

“I think the program will make my offices and prosecutors around the country more careful in how they look at a case,” says John Ferraro, an Ohio county prosecutor. “Our duty is to make sure justice is served, and we don’t want to put any innocent people in jail. It keeps us on our toes as prosecutors, and that’s good.