Wrongful conviction of Cleveland man highlights death penalty concerns

Sound of Ideas · Oct 19, 2026 · 51m

Future of death penalty uncertain in Ohio with upcoming change in governor following midterm election Imagine spending nearly 40 years in prison for a crime you didn't commit. That's what happened to Cleveland native Rickey Jackson, who was locked up at the age of 18 after police coerced a twelve-year-old boy into fraudulently naming him as a murderer. His story of being exonerated and released in 2014 with the help of the Ohio Innocence Project is the subject of a recently-released documentary called 'Lovely Jackson,' but his story could have had a much different ending. Rickey was initially…