KY bill would have allowed compensation for wrongfully convicted. It failed a third time.
A bill that would have established a structure to compensate Kentuckians who are wrongfully convicted of a crime failed to pass in the legislature for a third time.
House Bill 206, introduced by Louisville Republican Jason Nemes, would have brought Kentucky in line with most other states and provided money for people found to have been convicted of a crime they didn’t commit.
Kentucky is one of just 12 states that does not provide such compensation. And it will remain so, as the Kentucky House of Representatives did not call the bill for a vote in time for it to pass in the Kentucky Senate.
Nemes’ bill, House Bill 206, was designed to create a framework for people to make a civil claim of innocence after their conviction.
Since 1989, at least 22 people in Kentucky have been wrongfully convicted of a crime in Kentucky, spending an average of 10 years behind bars, according to The Innocence Project, which tracks wrongful convictions.
House Bill 206 is modeled on compensation statutes recently passed in Idaho, Montana, and Kansas. If enacted, it would have:
Provide $65,000 per year of wrongful imprisonment, plus up to $32,500 for years spent on parole, in post-prison supervision, or on the sex offender registry.
Provide access to re-entry services including health care and counseling, housing assistance and personal financial literacy assistance.
Ensure a straightforward process by filing claims through the courts, so eligibility is determined by judges and courts.
Seal records associated with the wrongful arrest and conviction, and provide exonerees a certificate of innocence so they can clear their names and move on with their lives.
But supporters believe meaningful change is still possible.
Suzanne Hopf, the directing attorney for the Kentucky Innocence Project, said she was proud of the work done by the group as well the exonerees, who “relived their trauma in order to try and secure the future for themselves and other wrongfully incarcerated Kentuckians.”
“We look forward to next year’s session and the day that Kentucky passes legislation to render restitution to the innocent,” Hopf said in an emailed statement.
One such exoneree is Michael VonAllmen, who scratched his way to clearing his name after spending 11 years in prison and has advocated on behalf of compensation for others like himself.
