Overall Rating Gold
Overall Score 68.35
Liaison Andrew Porter
Submission Date March 3, 2023

STARS v2.2

University of Cincinnati
IN-48: Innovation B

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 0.50 / 0.50 Andrew Porter
Director
Planning + Design + Constuction
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Name or title of the innovative policy, practice, program, or outcome:
Ohio Innocence Project

A brief description of the innovative policy, practice, program, or outcome that outlines how credit criteria are met and any positive measurable outcomes associated with the innovation:
The Ohio Innocence Project (OIP) at Cincinnati Law is part of the University of Cincinnati College of Law. OIP is a member of the Innocence Network. The Innocence Network is an informal coalition of independent innocence organizations dedicated to combating wrongful convictions worldwide and reforming the criminal legal system. Innocence Network’s members are based in the United States or outside of the United States for organizations that meet the membership criteria. Members and are mainly With their focused on criminal legal reform, they are working directly in pursuit of two of the Sustainable Development Goals: Reduced Inequalities (SDG#10), and Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions (SDG#16) which seeks to "provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels." UC is one of less than two dozen institutions of higher education to be a member of the Innocence Network.

The OIP has a simple goal: They want to free every innocent person in Ohio who has been convicted of a crime they didn't commit. OIP is proud to be a part of the University of Cincinnati, where they made our home in 2003. Since their inception, their work has led to the release of 39 wrongfully convicted Ohioans, who collectively served more than 700 years behind bars. This makes OIP one of the top-performing members among the Innocence Network.

Their work includes helping develop and advocate for lasting criminal justice reform through legislation as well as launching Ohio Innocence Project University, an active network of student groups at colleges across the state.

This work has been featured widely; for example, in "Blind Injustice," an innovative opera drawing on the lives of six people freed through the work of the Ohio Innocence Project at the University of Cincinnati College of Law. This premiered in July 2019 at the world-renowned Cincinnati Opera to national acclaim. The event was recognized by many in the Wall Street Journal and NPR, local media and the opera world.https://www.uc.edu/news/articles/2019/07/

Optional Fields

A letter of affirmation from an individual with relevant expertise or a press release or publication featuring the innovation :
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The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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