Shreveport Mayor Says Exonerees Deserve More Compensation
03.13.14
Following this week’s exoneration and release of Louisiana death row inmate Glenn Ford, Shreveport’s mayor has come out in support of increased compensation for the state’s exonerees.
KSLA News 12 reports that even though Shreveport Mayor Cedric Glover helped pass compensation legislation in 2005 when he was a state representative, he still thinks the state should do more for the wrongly convicted once they are released.
In 2005, the Louisiana Legislature passed a bill that provided $15,000 per year of wrongful incarceration with a maximum of up to $150,000. In the years since, the amount increased to $25,000 per year of wrongful incarceration with a maximum of up to $250,000, which is still below the federal standard of $50,000 per year and a cap of $500,000. Currently, Louisiana exonerees are also eligible for another $80,000 for skills and job training. Although Louisiana is among the 29 states plus Washington, D.C., to have a compensation statute, Glover says it isn’t enough. “We ought to do a better job of attempting to do so in Louisiana,” Glover told the news station. “What they deserve, you cannot put a price on that,” says Glover.
In Louisiana, exonerees must file a civil suit to be compensated.
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