Blind Injustice: The Psychology and Politics of Wrongful Convictions
My favorite class of Freshman year by far was my honors seminar. I took Professor Mark Godsey’s lecture about Wrongfully Convicted Felons and the psychology that leads to the systemic flaws in our criminal justice system. We analyzed the successful innocence cases from the Ohio Innocence Project at UC’s College of Law and met past exonerees including the East Cleveland Three and Ricky Jackson. Each speaker’s personal story gave me a new perspective towards advocacy work from the support the exonerees needed in the past and continue to receive to the struggles the Innocence Project staff face both personally and professionally when fighting cases. We also heard from criminal justice professionals about the changes we need to see in criminal justice to make lasting, positive change for a more just system. Although the seminar was moved online for the end of the semester, canceling our trip to the court of appeals, I feel that the knowledge I gained about human behavior goes far beyond a single investigation. I personally researched the case of Amanda Knox, analyzing her international conviction and exoneration. Through the class, I developed an interest in the legal side of advocacy and feel determined to learn more.