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Post by MXB on Feb 27, 2007 7:24:35 GMT -5
OHIO
The Ohio Innocence Project University of Cincinnati College of Law P.O. Box 210040 Cincinnati, OH 45221-0040 *Mark Godsey, contact *John Cranley, contact (513) 556-0752
Ohio Northern University College of Law 525 S. Main Street Ada, OH 45810 Contact: Professor Bryan Ward Innocence Institute of Point Park University Bill Moushey Point Park College Dept. of Journalism and Mass Communications 201 Wood Street Pittsburgh, PA 15222-1984
Ohio Innocence Project 2340 Chagrin Blvd, Suite 525 Cleveland, OH 44122
Martin Yant P.O. Box 14306 Columbus, Ohio 43214
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Post by MXB on Mar 1, 2007 5:53:10 GMT -5
Wrongful Convictions Are Not Isolated, Rare Events
The Innocence Project was created by Barry C. Scheck and Peter J. Neufeld in 1992 at the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law to examine cases in which DNA testing could yield conclusive proof of innocence.
The project, a non-profit legal clinic, gives law students the opportunity to handle the case work, while supervised by a team of attorneys and clinic staff. The project goes through thousands of applications each year from inmates seeking its services.
"Most of our clients are poor, forgotten, and have used up all of their legal avenues for relief," the project web site explains. "The hope they all have is that biological evidence from their cases still exists and can be subjected to DNA testing."
Thousands of Cases Being Evaluated
Before The Innocence Project will take on a case, it is subjected to extensive screening to determine if DNA testing would prove the inmate's claim of innocence.
Thousands of cases may be in this evaluation process at any given time.
The advent of modern DNA testing has literally changed the criminal justice system. DNA cases have provided proof that innocent people are convicted and sentenced by the courts. Thus far, the project claims to have exonerated 146 convicts, 13 of whom were on death row.
"DNA testing has opened a window into wrongful convictions so that we may study the causes and propose remedies that may minimize the chances that more innocent people are convicted," The Innocence Project says.
The success of the project, and the subsequent publicity that it has received due to its involvement in some high-profile cases, has allowed the clinic to expand beyond its original purpose. The clinic is now helping to organize The Innocence Network -- a group of law schools, journalism schools, and public defender officers who help inmates trying to prove their innocence -- whether or not DNA evidence is involved.
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