BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Louisiana is increasing the compensation available to people who have been wrongfully convicted of crimes.
Gov. John Bel Edwards signed into law Gretna Rep. Joe Marino’s bill boosting the amount, which drew near-unanimous support from the House and Senate.
The changes will start in July 2022, increasing the amount paid to someone who was wrongfully convicted from $25,000 to $40,000 for each year in jail.
The maximum someone could receive will be $400,000, spread across 10 years — or $250,000 if the person would prefer a lump sum, rather than annual payments.
The bill allows people who previously received money since September 2005 for their wrongful convictions to be able to seek supplemental compensation reflecting the new amount. Those petitions will have to be filed by July 1, 2023.
A financial analysis of the legislation said 15 people are currently receiving annual compensation from the state for wrongful convictions.
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