The West Virginia University College of Law has received $100,000 from the law firm Wilson, Frame and Metheney for the school’s Innocence Project.
According to WVU, the gift will be paid over five years and provide operational support for the law clinic whose goal is to provide services to the wrongfully convicted at no charge while providing third-year students with work experience.
Attorney Wes Metheney says the wrongfully convicted need a champion for the justice system to function smoothly, and the clinic does that for West Virginia.
The clinic is directed by Professor Valena Beety. It was established to serve people in state or federal prisons with claims of innocence considered meritorious.
It also advocates for reforms including better eyewitness identification and forensic analysis.