GoVia Highlight a Hero is an innovative initiative designed to empower formerly incarcerated individuals in Ohio, transforming them into credible legal aids who contribute directly to the justice system. By leveraging technology, trauma recovery, and lived experience, GoVia aims to reduce recidivism, restore dignity, and cut the staggering costs of police misconduct and incarceration.
The Mission: Empowerment, Credibility, and Community Trust
GoVia’s mission is to provide dignified employment for returning citizens, reduce recidivism, and add credibility to legal testimonies in court. The program builds community trust and fosters leadership among reentry citizens, positioning them as vital contributors to both the legal system and their communities
Key Goals:
- Dignified Work: Offering stable jobs as legal aids for reentry individuals.
- Credible Testimony: Training participants to serve as impartial witnesses, providing affidavits and live testimony based on real-time legal encounters.
- Systemic Change: Supporting trauma recovery, legal reform, and cost reduction in Ohio’s criminal justice system.
How GoVia Works: From Prison to Legal Aid
1. Education and Training in Prisons
GoVia personnel enter correctional facilities to educate incarcerated individuals on the pathway to becoming legal aids. The curriculum covers:
- Legal rights and responsibilities
- How to observe and document police encounters
- Trauma-informed care and mental health support
- The ethics and standards of providing testimony
This approach aligns with the recommendations of Ohio’s Supreme Court Reentry Task Force, which advocates for comprehensive, trauma-informed, and vocational training as part of reentry planning
.
2. Hiring and Onboarding Reentry Legal Aids
Upon release, trained individuals are offered employment as legal aids. Their roles include:
- Observing police-citizen encounters (in-person or via live stream)
- Providing real-time, in-the-moment testimony in court proceedings
- Submitting affidavits based on video evidence, ensuring the “whole truth” is presented, regardless of which party is at fault
3. Live Streaming Testimonies
Ohio courts already support virtual public access and live streaming of proceedings
. GoVia leverages this infrastructure, enabling legal aids to testify remotely, with proceedings recorded and archived for transparency and accountability.
4. Trauma Recovery and Wraparound Services
GoVia collaborates with Ohio’s Trauma Recovery Centers, which provide mental health support, addiction treatment, and legal advocacy for victims of violent crime
. This wraparound approach addresses the root causes of recidivism and supports both the legal aid and the community.
Case Study: A Hero’s Journey
Example: John, a formerly incarcerated Ohioan, completes GoVia’s legal aid training while in prison. Upon release, he is hired by GoVia and assigned to observe a police-citizen encounter in his neighborhood. During a disputed arrest, John records the interaction, later providing a live-streamed testimony and an affidavit for the court. His impartial account, backed by video evidence, helps the court ascertain the facts-whether the crime was committed by the citizen or the officer.
This process not only gives John stable employment but also restores his sense of purpose and credibility in the community
.
Impact: Reducing Costs, Recidivism, and Trauma
Cutting Police Misconduct Costs
Ohio faces $3.2 billion in police misconduct-related expenses. GoVia aims to reduce this by 60% through:
- Transparent, real-time legal observation
- Immediate mental health intervention
- Credible, impartial testimony that deters misconduct and wrongful convictions
Challenging the Prison Industry
The U.S. prison system is an $80 billion industry, with thousands of corporations profiting from incarceration
. GoVia’s model disrupts this cycle by redirecting resources toward rehabilitation, employment, and community-based justice.
Supporting Trauma Recovery
Ohio’s Trauma Recovery Centers-funded by state grants-offer a network of support for victims of violent crime, including legal advocacy and mental health services. GoVia’s integration with these centers ensures that both victims and legal aids receive the support needed to break the cycle of trauma and crime
.
Legal and Ethical Considerations
- Affidavit/Testimony Standards: Legal aids must adhere to the same oath as any witness: to tell “the whole truth.” Their testimony is based on direct observation and video evidence, subject to cross-examination and judicial scrutiny
- .
- Case Law and Precedent: Courts have upheld the admissibility of video and live-streamed testimony, provided proper authentication and opportunity for cross-examination (see Maryland v. Craig, 497 U.S. 836 (1990); Crawford v. Washington, 541 U.S. 36 (2004)).
- Impartiality: Legal aids are trained to remain neutral, reporting facts regardless of which party is at fault-citizen or police officer.
Alignment with Broader Justice Reform
GoVia’s approach complements Ohio’s ongoing reforms:
- Earned Credit and Diversion: Supports alternatives to incarceration and reduces sentences for those who demonstrate rehabilitation.
· Trauma Recovery: Integrates with state-funded trauma recovery centers to address the underlying causes of crime.
· Drug Sentencing Reform: Aligns with efforts to treat addiction as a health issue, not a criminal one.
GoVia could also partner with organizations like Arts for Justice, which use creative expression to support reentry and justice reform, further amplifying the voices and talents of returning citizens.
Critical Analysis: Assumptions and Challenges
Assumptions
- That reentry individuals can be effectively trained as impartial legal aids.
- That courts and law enforcement will accept and value their testimony.
- That live streaming and video evidence will be consistently admissible and impactful.
Counterpoints
- Skeptics may argue that bias (against or for police/citizens) could persist, or that legal aids with criminal records may face credibility issues.
- There are logistical, legal, and privacy concerns with live streaming sensitive encounters and court proceedings.
- The financial savings from reduced misconduct claims may take time to materialize and depend on broad systemic adoption.
Alternative Perspectives
- Some may suggest focusing on restorative justice programs or community mediation rather than legal testimony.
- Others may argue for direct investment in mental health and substance abuse services as a more effective recidivism reduction strategy.
Testing the Reasoning
- The logic holds if training, oversight, and cross-examination ensure impartiality and credibility.
- The success of the model depends on buy-in from courts, law enforcement, and the public, as well as robust support systems for legal aids.
GoVia’s Take
GoVia Highlight a Hero represents a bold, evidence-based approach to reentry, legal aid, and justice reform in Ohio. By empowering returning citizens as credible legal aids, leveraging technology for transparency, and integrating trauma recovery, GoVia has the potential to reduce recidivism, restore lives, and save billions in public costs. However, its success will require rigorous training, oversight, and ongoing evaluation to ensure that it delivers on its promise of justice, dignity, and community trust.
