Compensation for those wrongfully convicted sought

(NorthStarNews Today) — Legislation that would provide compensation for the wrongfully convicted has passed the Michigan House of Representatives.

People who are exonerated would receive $50,000 a year for every year they were incarcerated under one bill that passed on a vote of 104-2. Another bill, which passed unanimously, would require the Michigan Department of Corrections to provide clothing allowances, medical care and housing referrals for people who were released from prison after their convictions were overturned, according to The Detroit Free Press.

In Michigan, 55 people have been exonerated since 1989 for crimes they did not commit. The initial cost of the bill would be $15 million, earmarked to take care of people who have been exonerated.

The Innocence Project, which is based in New York, reported that 31 states provide monetary compensation to people who have been wrongfully convicted and imprisoned for a crime they did not commit.

One bill, HB 5814, which provides clothing and other services, must still be passed by the Senate. The other bill SB 291, which provides compensation, has passed the Senate and the House, and Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder is expected to sign it.

This article originally published in the December 26, 2016 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper.