Cleveland State University’s College of Law will open a wrongful conviction clinic in January offering legal assistance to incarcerated people in Ohio. 

While the clinic is accepting cases statewide, CSU Criminal Justice Center staff say the new clinic will fill a need in Cuyahoga County, where there is no local wrongful conviction program and where most Ohio exonerees have been convicted.

Since its formal announcement on Oct. 19, the clinic has received 33 requests for assistance from incarcerated people who claim innocence or manifest injustice – meaning there were errors in their trial.  

Laura Greig, director of the clinic, said requests have come from people in prison and exonerees. The Cuyahoga County Public Defender’s office and private attorneys have also referred some cases. The clinic is working with the Ohio Innocence Project and the Ohio Public Defender Wrongful Conviction Project. 

Greig said she’s not surprised to see such immediate demand. She’s anticipating “hundreds of requests over the course of the year,” she said.

More than a third of those exonerated in Ohio since 1989 – as far back as the University of Michigan has kept data – were convicted in Cuyahoga County, according to the national registry of exonerations. The county also has the tenth most exonerations nationwide.

Students will interview witnesses, visit incarcerated people

People looking for help are asked to fill out a 20-page intake form with details about their case. They also sign a waiver allowing the clinic to request information on their behalf.

Starting Jan. 9, six CSU Law students, most in their final year of studies, will review intake forms. They will select cases they believe are viable based on Ohio’s limited laws for petition after someone is convicted, Greig said. For example, in many cases the state requires the petitioner to present new evidence that wasn’t available at the original trial, she said. 

That’s when the in-depth research starts. The work will not be limited to sitting at a desk reviewing transcripts and submitting records requests. They will find and interview witnesses and visit the prison to talk to the incarcerated person. 

“The hope is that we advance to a point where we feel that we have an actual claim that we can litigate,” Greig said. 

Greig is interviewing students this week. She said it’s important that the candidates believe someone can be wrongfully convicted. They will have to read court materials that frame a person as guilty while maintaining an open mind. 

Jonathan Witmer-Rich, a CSU law professor and CSU Criminal Justice Center co-director, said there are limited resources for prisoners who want to prove their innocence as they no longer have a right to a court-appointed lawyer once they’re convicted. The center has been working for about three years to launch the new clinic, he said. 

Greig said the work the clinic is doing will deeply impact people’s lives. 

“We’re sort of the last resort for people,” she said. “And we take that responsibility very seriously.”