AG Yost announces $5 million for prosecutor training program with ‘academic freedom’

​​Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost announced on Tuesday that the state will award $5 million in seed money to Cleveland State University to establish the first Prosecutor Training Program with “academic freedom” in the Buckeye State.

The new program, designed to prepare the next generation of prosecutors and strengthen public safety across Ohio, will be housed at the CSU College of Law, according to a release for Yost.

“As we work to keep Ohio communities safe, it’s critical that we invest in the people who uphold the law by training them well,” Yost said in a release, adding that the partnership between his office and CSU will take 15 years.

The press release said that the specialized curriculum for the students who want to become prosecutors will feature “a criminal prosecution clinic, hands-on training opportunities, and collaboration with prosecutors throughout Ohio.”

“This is a law school, and there is academic freedom here,” Yost said, according to Ideastream Public Media.

Laura Bloomberg, president of CSU, praised the partnership, saying in the press release that “many of our students choose to remain in Ohio after graduation, utilizing their skills and building their careers in our state.”

“The new program will build upon the CSU College of Law’s legacy of alumni who serve as judges, elected officials, and community leaders,” she said in a release. “Thanks to Attorney General Yost, the CSU College of Law will distinguish itself as the region’s academic leader in preparing new generations of talented and expertly trained prosecutors ready to serve the State of Ohio as public servants.”

Bloomberg told Ideastream that because of this partnership, the university would be able to expand its legal education.

“At CSU College of Law, our mission is to Learn Law and Live Justice,” Co-Interim Dean Carolyn Broering-Jacobs said, according to the release. “Our students are already pursuing careers as prosecutors, and this initiative allows us to prepare them even more intentionally and effectively, building on our strong criminal justice curriculum while expanding opportunities for hands-on training and mentorship.”

To ensure “individualized training, mentorship, and real-world experiences,” the program, which will launch with the 2026-2027 academic year and will be available for both in-person and online study, will be limited to 10 to 12 students per year, according to the release.

“We will build a mentorship pipeline connecting students with practicing prosecutors across the state,” Broering-Jacobs told Ideastream. “We will focus on the unique skills that the role of a prosecutor demands, things like judgment, discretion, ethics, and the profound responsibility that comes with representing the state. We will expand our reach across Ohio, especially in rural and underserved communities where the need is greatest.”

The news source also asked the university officials about potential conflicts between the prosecution clinic and other clinics at the College of Law, including one on wrongful convictions, and the officials said that the prosecution clinic will be separate.

“While we envision this clinic being part of the (CSU) Criminal Justice Center, organizationally, it actually is independent,” Jonathan Witmer-Rich, co-director of CSU College of Law’s Criminal Justice Center, said, per Ideastream. “The director will answer to the deans. They will not answer to the directors of the Criminal Justice Center. It will be housed in a separate space, separate from our other clinical programs, to maintain confidentiality and integrity.”