OLYMPIA, Wash – Right now in Washington, people wrongfully convicted of a crime are legally entitled to be compensated. In the 12 years since that law was passed, almost no one has received compensation.
A bill in the Washington legislature would change that, removing some of the barriers currently in place.
The Washington Innocence Project is backing Senate bill 5520.
In an email, the group said the bill “provides essential guidance to ensure those who demonstrated their actual innocence are compensated – without undue litigation and delay.”
Supporters of the bill say Washington ranks among the least of states to compensate people who are wrongfully convicted.
A study from the National Registry of Exonerations shows Washington has paid $2.8 million to nine exonerees, which is 17% of the exonerees who have filed claims.
This bill doesn’t change how much they can be compensated but instead allows them six years to file for compensation instead of three years.
One person in support of the bill said, “The law required me to relitigate my innocence just to receive compensation that was intended for people who are wrongly convicted. I was trapped for years in legal battles.”
Under the law, those wrongfully convicted have to prove they were not incarcerated simultaneously for another crime. They also have to prove they were found not guilty at a new trial or that charges were dismissed because of new evidence.
The formerly incarcerated person is eligible for up to $50,000 for each year of incarceration, $50,000 additional for each year spent on death row, $25,000 each year on parole or as a registered sex offender, attorneys’ fees and other costs.
They’re also eligible for higher education tuition waivers at state colleges and universities.
So far, the bill has been passed through committees and is waiting on a second reading.
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