THE GUARDIAN - November 25, 2021
Article Excerpt:
After Innocence, a non-profit organization that has helped more than 800 exonerees in the US after their release, points out that in 13 states, including Arizona, Georgia and Pennsylvania, exonerated prisoners are offered zero compensation. Other states offer meagre recompense – in Wisconsin it’s $5,000 for each year of imprisonment, capped at $25,000.
Several states impose a pardon trap, whereby prisoners who have proved their innocence to the satisfaction of a judge still have the pall of their wrongful conviction hanging over them pending a formal pardon. In Maine, all compensation is withheld until the governor grants a pardon – an Alice in Wonderland concept given that the former prisoner has to ask to be pardoned for something they never did.
“I believe most Americans expect that if you can prove in a court that you were imprisoned for a crime that you did not commit, then you should be eligible for compensation,” said Jon Eldan, founder and director of After Innocence. “But under North Carolina’s current compensation statute, for many exonerees, innocence will not be enough: you must receive a pardon, which is in the sole discretion of the governor.”
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Source: THE GUARDIAN