Wyoming Introduces Compensation Bill

Eight months after Wyoming saw its first DNA exoneration, the state is considering legislation that would compensate the wrongly convicted. Andrew Johnson, who spent 23 years behind bars before being cleared of a rape he did not commit, is poised to become the first beneficiary of the legislation.

 

The

Casper Star-Tribune

reported that the bill passed by a unanimous vote in the Senate last week and is now being considered in the House. Statutes providing for some form of compensation for the wrongly convicted are already in place in 29 states plus Washington, D.C.

 

The bill meets the federal standard of providing $50,000 per year of wrongful incarceration with a maximum of up to $500,000. For Johnson, 63, who served nearly 24 years, the payout would equate to $21,739 for every full year in jail.

 

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