On Wednesday, November 19, at 6:30 p.m. in Chisholm Auditorium in Franks Hall, Tiffin University will welcome Megan Hasson and Madisen Zent as they share their experiences working as Ohio Innocence Project (OIP) Fellows at the University of Cincinnati College of Law. This event is free and open to the public.
OIP has a staff of six lawyers to investigate and litigate hundreds of wrongful convictions claims each year. Each year, the Ohio Innocence Project at the University of Cincinnati College of Law, selects a team of 20 law students to serve as Legal Fellows. Supervised by seasoned clinical professors, OIP Fellows do the work of real lawyers – from interviewing witnesses and drafting motions to collecting evidence and seeking DNA testing on behalf of their clients. Since 2003, OIP fellows have worked to achieve the release of 25 inmates who were innocent of their alleged crimes.
To someone who is in prison for a crime(s) they did not commit, these Fellows represent their last hope – someone to advocate and believe in them and fight for them when no one else will. Dean Gillispie, who spent 20 years in prison for crimes he did not commit, expressed the impact this work has. “You’re doing this time in prison,” Gillispie said. “You’re trying to scream and holler to get people to listen. . . Those kids mean the world to me – every last one of them. What can you say to a kid who just basically helped save your life?”
This event is co-sponsored by TU’s Student Government.
OIP-u:TU is an undergraduate-run extracurricular group, which belongs and reports to the greater OIP umbrella organization. Their mission is to further the goals of the collective, as well as provide educational and awareness-based programming about wrongful convictions and the legal system, both on campus and locally. They are also affiliated with the Tiffin University School of Criminal Justice and Social Sciences. For more information, visit OIP-u TU on Facebook and Instagram.
Please contact Dr. Steven Hurwitz, Program Faculty Advisor, with any questions at shurwitz@tiffin.edu.