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Wrongful Convictions an Expensive Proposition

By standdown

That's the title of Fort Worth Star-Telegram editorial board member Linda Campbell's latest column.  LINKBut for those who still aren't convinced by those worthy arguments that Texas needs more safeguards against wrongful convictions, there's still the bottom line. And here's the black and white from the Texas comptroller's office: 45 people have been paid almost $8.5 million since 2001. Under  current law, a convicted individual who has been pardoned because of a wrongful conviction or has been declared actually innocent can apply to the Texas comptroller's office for compensation of $50,000 per year of imprisonment, $100,000 per year if in on a death sentence. (Before last year, it was $25,000 a year, up to $500,000.) Among the 45 listed by the comptroller's office -- see the partial list that accompanies this column -- are 19 of the 35 Tulia residents whom Gov...continue to full post

Full post as published by StandDown Texas Project on May 22, 2008 (boomark / email).