Kansas Must Compensate the Wrongfully Convicted in 2018

After spending 23 years in prison for a crime he didn’t commit, Lamonte McIntyre, who was represented by the Midwest Innocence Project, was able to spend Christmas and the New Year at home with his family. 2018 brings a new beginning for McIntyre, as he goes back to school to finish his college degree on a full scholarship, which he began in prison. He is doing this all without a penny from the state of Kansas, the state that took over two decades of his life.

Sign: I support compensating the wrongly convicted in Kansas

Despite this, McIntyre continues to persevere, but not without using his voice to advocate for change. He recently co-authored a column for the Kansas City Star, identifying Kansas as one of the 18 states that does not compensate the wrongfully convicted. At this juncture in Kansas, more services are provided to those who were actually guilty of a crime and released, than those who are innocent and finally free.

Lamonte McIntyre op-ed in @KCStar: I spent 23 years in prison for a crime I didn’t commit. Kansas is giving me nothing. https://t.co/rOqUfRl8NC (Photo: Rich Sugg) pic.twitter.com/R8kNjAOzty

— Innocence Project (@innocence) December 26, 2017

Establishing a compensation law in Kansas in 2018 is critical to help those who have fallen victim to the injustices in the criminal justice system. It not only provides them with physical necessities once they are out in the world again, but it provides emotional closure and acknowledgment of the wrongdoing they endured. You can read the full op-ed here, and you can join Lamonte’s efforts to pass a compensation law by signing this petition.