Can you imagine getting charged with a horrible crime that you did not commit? And what if the evidence that would prove you were innocent was not allowed in the court room and you spent almost two decades in prison? This is what happened to Alan Northrop and Larry Davis, who were convicted of rape in 1993 and were cleared of all charges in 2010 when the DNA evidence was allowed into a review hearing.
And what did they receive after they were exonerated by our court system? Nothing, not even the services a person who committed a crime receives upon release to help transition out of an institution. Washington is part of a minority of states that does not provide compensation for persons who are wrongly convicted and later found innocent of all charges. Therefore, their only option for compensation is litigation.
When she heard about these two cases, Rep. Tina Orwall teamed up with the UW Innocence Project Northwest to bring justice to the victims of wrongful convictions in our state through legislation introduced in 2011 and 2012. But neither of those bills made it to the governor’s desk.
After reviewing hundreds of cases over the last 12 years, the Innocence Project has helped exonerate four men who would be eligible for compensation if this year’s bill is signed into law. It’s not farfetched, since the House Appropriations Committee passed it today on a 29-2 vote.
“I am grateful to the Appropriations Committee members and proud that they stood up for justice today,” said the Des Moines Democrat. “It is hard to imagine the losses these men have faced because our court system failed them. This bill is a way for government to apologize and help them begin to rebuild their shattered lives.”
The measure would compensate those wrongly convicted with:
- $50,000 for each year behind bars
- Additional $50,000 for each year on death row
- $25,000 for each year on parole, community custody or as a registered sex offender
- Compensation for child support
- Reimbursement for restitution, assessments fees and court costs associated with the wrongful conviction
- Attorneys’ fees up to $75,000
- Higher education tuition waivers
- Access to reentry services
Northrop, Davis, the Innocence Project and anyone who has gone through that ordeal hope the third time’s a charm.
Watch Orwall talk about House Bill 1341 in her latest video update:
