Why NWOIC Exists

. . . because the system doesn't always get it right

The numbers are shocking.  Since opening our doors, NWOIC  can count 33 convictions that have legitimate claims of innocence  – just in Lucas County alone.

Each case requires meticulous post conviction review but the resources and skills needed to revisit these cases, some that are decades old, are hard to come by.

Navigating the system can be a daunting task.

  • How do you make a public records request?
  • Where do you find the trial transcripts?
  • What do you look for in a police report?
  • Can you tell if a report is missing or altered in some way?
  • Is there a way to check out a witness who gave damaging testimony?
  • How do you log your findings?

These are the kinds of things investigators do.

NWOIC is a training ground for student investigators.

Through classes, one on one training, field trips, and a variety of assignments, students – of any discipline – are welcome to participate in NWOIC. 

Regardless of one’s major, the skills learned through an investigation internship will be useful in navigating any area of life.  

NWOIC is Not a CIU.

Unlike the Conviction Integrity Unit (CIU), currently housed inside the Lucas County Prosecutor’s Office, NWOIC does not receive any tax payer dollars to review convictions.  The organization survives solely on volunteers and donations.

Lucas County’s CIU is currently looking into one of our cases (Willie Knighten). We hope to interest them in many more.

If NWOIC finds evidence (new or withheld) concerning a case under review by the student investigators, that information will be offered to the prosecutor within the county that obtained the conviction. If the prosecutor is not interested in pursuing the evidence, NWOIC is prepared to deliver the case to the Ohio Innocence Project, The Ohio Public Defender’s  Wrongful Conviction Project, or one of the organization’s volunteer attorneys who will file the necessary motions.

NWOIC is Not a legal clinic.

Most university type innocence projects are clinics within the law school.  The only legal training provided by NWOIC  concerns Ohio public records law, a general understanding of the requirements for post conviction relief in Ohio, and a  general understanding of Brady claims.

The primary focus is post conviction investigation which entails lots of reading.   If exculpatory evidence is uncovered by the student investigators, the law departments of participating universities may be invited to join in the process of pursuing the next (legal) steps.