Congress Require ALL States to Provide Adequate Compensation to the Wrongfully Convicted
- por: Susan V
- destinatário: US Congress
After serving time in prison, those exonerated through new, post-conviction evidence face years of further punishment on the outside because they receive inadequate or no compensation for the wrongful convictions. And 20 states in the US have no program of any kind in place to help the wrongfully convicted get back on their feet.
The Innocence Project describes what it is like for many victims of our justice system - how “the nightmare does not end upon release.” First and perhaps worst of all, despite proof of their innocence, their criminal record is rarely cleared. Then after being deprived of family and friends and the ability to establish themselves professionally, these victims are often left to fend for themselves without social connections and without money, transportation, health insurance or housing.
IP says that even some of the 30 states that do have some form of compensation programs need to re-examine them to make sure they are fairly administered and provide adequate monetary and social compensation. In addition to a fixed sum, paid for every year of wrongful incarceration, compensation should include “the immediate provision of subsistence funds and access to services critical to a successful return to society," adds IP.
States have a responsibility to ensure the integrity of their justice systems by providing adequate compensation to the wrongfully convicted. Sign this petition to urge Congress to require a standard, just compensation program for the wrongfully convicted in all states.
To Members of Congress:
As an advocate for human rights, I believe incarceration of the innocent is a crime, itself, and failure to adequately compensate the victims of these crimes has no place in a civilized society. Therefore I am writing to urge Congress to demand that all states provide a standard, just compensation program for those wrongfully convicted.
[Your Comments]
According to a report by CNN, some states don’t award any monetary compensation at all to those proven innocent after incarceration or conviction - even to those who’ve spent decades behind bars. Others, as in California before recent reforms were enacted, those exonerated had to appeal to a panel for compensation, which could be denied if the panel decided the wrongly convicted contributed in any way to his conviction.
IP tells the story of a Florida man who spent 22 years in prison before his innocence was proven. After he was denied any compensation at all by the state, he filed a lawsuit that the trail court dismissed, leaving him only the alternative of to seeking a compensation bill from the legislature. IP says having to seek compensation in this way made it a political issue, “and successfully suing in court presents a new set of legal and financial obstacles to the wrongfully convicted – when compensation should be a simple issue of justice.»
I agree that compensation should be a “simple issue of justice,” not something the wrongfully convicted, who are already at a huge disadvantage, should have to fight for after fighting for recognition of their innocence.
Therefore I, the undersigned, urge Congress to act immediately and decisively on this matter, demanding all states adopt laws guaranteeing fair and swift monetary and social compensation to the wrongfully convicted.
Thanks for your time.
[Your Name]
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