Law School Based Program Frees Two Innocent Men

By Robert Wear

The NCIP is a project set up as a clinic in which law students evaluate cases under the supervision of attorneys and clinical staff. Using methods such as DNA testing and law reform, they attempt to try and free those who have been wrongfully convicted.

Oakland resident Ronald Ross, who was convicted for attempted murder in 2006 and was facing a lifetime behind bars, was released on Feb. 22. 

When his attorney, who was convinced of his innocence, contacted the NCIP, teamed up with Keker & Van Ness Law Firm in San Francisco and conducted a lengthy investigation. They found many errors in the prosecution and led them to conclude that he was innocent. He was reported as going straight to his mother's house for a home-cooked meal of oysters and shrimp.

Another Oakland native, Johnny Williams, was accused of sexually assaulting a nine-year-old girl in 1998. He was exonerated on March 8 by the Alameda County Superior Court after 14 years in prison. ABC7 News reported that he was able to contact the NCIP by a letter he sent to them in 2006. Seven years later, they were able to find sperm on her shirt that did not match Williams' DNA.

Santa Clara law professor Kathleen M. Ridolfi created the NCIP in 2001 and went on to co-found the entire Innocence Project network. Ridolfi is an advocate for justice and she has said that she is committed to fixing the problem of wrongful incarceration. 

"DNA has put to rest the question of whether we convict innocent people," said Ridolfi. "We do it, we now know why it happens, and we know what we have to do to fix it. I'm committed to making that happen."

The NCIP is a course available to Santa Clara law students and it has freed 16 people since its creation. Two of those people, Ross and Williams, were released from prison earlier this year based on evidence found by Santa Clara law students involved with the NCIP that led to their exoneration. 

Since its creation, the Innocence Project has spread across the nation and into four other countries. It has successfully freed more than 292 people, 17 of whom were on death row. 

Contact Robert Wear at rwear@scu.edu or call (408) 554-4852.