TIME Magazine Special Edition Features UC Ohio Innocence Project

The

Ohio Innocence Project

at the University of Cincinnati is receiving prominent national attention – a feature in TIME magazine’s special edition examining wrongful convictions. The issue, which is anticipated to sell over a half a million copies, was just published and is available starting this week at newsstands across the country.

Says

Professor Mark Godsey

, UC professor of law and director of the Ohio Innocence Project, “I’m thrilled that TIME has dedicated an entire issue to the innocence movement, which demonstrates the enormous impact it has had on our criminal justice system. We at OIP are honored to have been highlighted as a central player in what is now becoming a global human rights movement. And we are thankful to the University of Cincinnati and our many donors for making it all possible.

The issue, “Innocent: The Fight Against Wrongful Convictions,” takes a look at 25 years of the innocence movement. The Ohio Innocence Project (OIP) is highlighted with a multi-page spread. In a ten-page feature, the edition shares the stories of

• Ricky Jackson, the OIP exoneree who holds the record for the most years an exonerated American has served in prison, taking a “behind the scenes” look at his case, beginning in 1975 to today.  

• Clarence Elkins, the OIP’s first successful exoneration, his battle for freedom, and the lengths he and the UC law students went through to help secure his release.  

• Roger Dean Gillispie, the first case for the fledgling OIP in 2003, and the continuing obstacles in his case.

• OIP Director Mark Godsey’s unique career as an award-winning prosecutor turned champion for the innocent, and his emergence as a global leader in the movement. It also features his forthcoming book "Blind Injustice: A Former Prosecutor Exposes the Psychology and Politics of Wrongful Convictions."

Dean Jennifer S. Bard, Nippert professor of law, also commented “It’s an honor to have the Rosenthal Institute for Justice/ Ohio Innocence Project at the University of Cincinnati College of Law. The work Mark Godsey, Jennifer Bergeron, Donald Caster, and Brian Howe do is absolutely remarkable as are the opportunities the students involved have to learn how much influence lawyers have in changing the lives of both individuals and society.  The work OIP does in making sure the legal system continues to work hard to avoid error infuses our entire law school and makes every student we graduate a better lawyer.”