Exoneree Compensation in West Virginia

A wrongfully convicted person may be awarded “a sum of money as the court determines will fairly and reasonably compensate the claimant based upon the sufficiency of the claimant’s proof at trial.” There is a two-year time limit for filing compensation claims. In 2020, the law was amended to remove a requirement that another person must be subsequently convicted of the same crime in order for the claimant to qualify for compensation, and to remove a bar to eligibility for those who falsely confessed or pleaded guilty. Effective: 1987; Amended most recently: 2020.

Read the statute.