Project” sparks new hope for wrongly convicted

by Sanaa Loyd

An Ohio man who spent more than 20 years in prison was awarded $45 million in a civil lawsuit in November against the local police department and the detective who led to his wrongful conviction.

The court found the officials had suppressed evidence and tainted eyewitness identifications in the 1991 rape and kidnapping in the case against Gillispie. The Ohio Innocence Project at the University of Cincinnati Law School was critical in the effort to free the man and clear his name.

As a part of the Forensic Science course at NFHS, instructor Laura Dula highlights some of the people unjustly convicted of crimes who were later proved innocent based on DNA evidence. This was accomplished through The Innocence Project, a nonprofit organization that uses science to free the wrongfully imprisoned.

“I am just humbled by the stories of the exonerees,” Dula said. “I can't imagine spending decades in jail, miss- ing out on important family matters, to walk free in a world that has drastically changed since you were put behind bars, and to still manage to find peace in your life.”

The Innocence Project not only tries to correct wrongful convictions, but the group also strives to create equitable systems of justice for everyone.

The project was founded in 1992 by Barry Scheck and Peter J. Neufeld. So far, 375 people in America have been released by DNA testing through the group that operates state by state.

To create the framework of good science and good evidence, the first unit of Forensic Science allows students the opportunity to study cases the Innocence Project has solved.

For example, Kenneth Adams was convicted of rape and a double homicide in 1978 in Illinois as a part of a group known as the Ford Heights Four.

Kenneth was sentenced to 75 years, and he served 18 years before he was released due to the DNA testing that proved he was innocent. This is one of the many stories that the Innocence Project has helped bring to light.

She tried to remember why she wanted to come to America this year.

“I wanted to experience it on my own and maybe learn English better,” Fleiss said.

Once arriving with her host family, she started to feel comfortable. “She seemed very open with how this family runs,” her host mother Cindy Knode said.

She has fit in easily with her family but had to make some hard adjustments.

She immediately noticed how the culture was different. “The schools are totally different from how we do things at mine. It’s weird having the same classes each day,” she said.

Her host mother has been very impressed with how she has reacted to everything she has seen in America so far.

“She has seemed to fit in well–except for thinking everything is either fancy or weird,” Mrs. Knode said laughing.

While Fleiss has been here almost four months, she has made some great memories. After being asked what her favorite memory has been so far, she responded with her day in Washington when she went to the Capitol and the Library of Congress as well as going to see “Dear Evan Hansen” the musical.

There are also some fun events coming up with her host family.

“Christmas will be fun, especially being able to decorate for it,” her host father Dave Knode shared.

She also added that she looks forward to upcoming events like prom.

Homesickness is not a stranger to her. She celebrated her 16th birthday only a couple of days after arrival.

“We knew that she wished she could’ve been in Germany with her family and friends for her birthday, but we tried to make it just as special and memorable for her,” Mrs. Knode shared.

She deals with her homesickness in multiple ways. “I have my journal,” Fleiss says. She also calls her mom, sister, and her friends almost every day.

It’s been hard for her to adjust, but she greatly has been enjoying Nation Ford and is excited to be a part of the NFHS family.

Middleton named Midlands Regional Librarian of the Year, voting committee

Nation Ford’s new media specialist Terly Middleton was recognized as the Midlands Regional school librarian of the year. This award will bring a spotlight to her and the Nation Ford media center. “It’s a huge honor,” says Middleton. “This award gives me the chance to support other libraries in-state, which is a big goal of mine.” She will also be able to help vote for next year’s contestants, as she is also awarded a spot on the voting committee.