Exoneree Urges NJ Gov. Christie to Sign Compensation Bill

In a letter published yesterday in the New Jersey News, exoneree David Shephard urges Gov. Chris Christie to sign a bill that recently passed the New Jersey that greatly improves the compensation for people who have been wrongly convicted on a crime in the state.   Shephard served 10 years in prison for a rape he didn’t commit before he was exonerated by DNA evidence in 1995.  In the letter,  he writes:

Given my experiences, I was thrilled to learn that the New Jersey Legislature passed S1219/A1640 last week. This bill, if signed by Gov. Christie, would raise the compensation allowance for wrongfully convicted individuals from $20,000 a year to $50,000, which is in line with federal standards. No amount of money will be able to fully compensate any of us for the experiences we had while in prison. Monetary compensation is simply a beginning — an opportunity to rebuild our lives, and for the state to right a serious wrong.

You can read the full letter

here

.