UC College of Law art exhibit spotlights burdens of wrongful convictions

Walking through the University of Cincinnati’s College of Law atrium, you can’t help but notice the new art exhibit lining the walls. However, this colorful and stirring collection displays more than just faces. The exhibit, "If You Could Walk in My Shoes," shows how extensive the consequences of wrongful conviction are to those involved.

This exhibit was created by Healing Justice, a national nonprofit organization based in Washington, DC, that provides support, reconciliation, and recovery to people harmed by wrongful convictions. Healing Justice and the Ohio Innocence Project at Cincinnati Law 
worked together to bring the project to the law school.

The OIP works to exonerate those who have been wrongfully convicted. Although wrongful convictions affect more than just those imprisoned; wrongful convictions affect families, friends, and support systems. The Ohio Innocence Project and Healing Justice believe that through creativity, these stories can be told.

Wrongful convictions cause unimaginable harm to the innocent who were wrongly convicted and who face innumerable obstacles to rebuilding their lives after years locked in prison. These same convictions cause immense pain and suffering to the victims and survivors of the original crime, who are devastated upon discovering that the true perpetrator was never caught, forced to relive the trauma and pain of the original crime, and often blamed publicly for having played a role in the wrongful conviction. The families of the wrongly convicted and original victims are also harmed in these cases, and their lives are permanently affected.

Healing Justice provides opportunities for healing to all harmed by offering direct support and services to those impacted by wrongful convictions. All aspects of Healing Justice's work are led by people with lived experiences.

One of Healing Justice's main programs are specialized "healing retreats," which create a safe space for people harmed in these cases to spend time together, bond over shared traumas, and provide peer support to one another. Therapeutic art activities at the retreats help the exonerated, the original crime victims, and their families to address the trauma they have suffered and to engage in emotional healing.

The exhibit contains photographs taken at these retreats, of retreat participants and final art projects. Stop by before the exhibit ends to see how wrongful convictions impact all of us.

The Ohio Innocence Project is dedicated to ending wrongful convictions and exonerate all who have been convicted and are serving prison time for a crime they did not commit. The OIP aims to reform the current criminal justice system and prevent all future occurrences of this injustice. Housed in the University of Cincinnati’s College of Law, the OIP has helped 27 wrongfully convicted citizens to be released on the grounds of innocence since it began in 2002. Combined, these 27 citizens have served more than 500 years in prison for crimes they did not commit.