It's about time to do something for the people who been sent to prison for crime they didn't do. Also, it should have been put in that bill, any police, lawyers, judges, or anybody invoved gathering the evidence or witness that laid, temporing or planted evidence, should have been convicted of crime and sent to prison for the crime plus 10 years for lying, temporing or planted evidence

Connecticut needs to introduce the same policy within a short period of time they have now released 3 or 4 men wrongly convicted. There will be 2 more in a very short time that were set up and railroaded into jail be corrupt cops and a corrupt state's attorney. Both sat in jail for 16 years while the real killer walked the streets and lived their life.

You can punish the judges and lawyers and cops if they didnt willingly lie. Sometimes evidence comes out wrong. Anyways...I think these people should get something for what they went through. No matter what people will still always by nature look down upon them for being in prison and it wont matter they were wrongly accused. That is just how society is today.

This sounds good for those who win their freedom.
Now that the state will have to pay it will be much harder to get a appeal hearing or to win a case.

Most of the ones here in NC that have been paid for being wrongly convicted would have never made $80,000.00 any year in their lives. If they want to pay them pay what they would have made.
One guy here has been going around saying he was involved in the case just didn't rape her. How well are they looking into these cases for sure. Make them have new trial. Makes me question some of these cases.
Thanks

Good perhaps. But this might make cases not get appeals as the state knows that if freed on appeal it will have to pay $80,000.

I know for those falsely arrested in the 1999 Tulia TX incident, they got $6mill. After lawyer cost, how much did each of the 46 get?

& what about Dee Harris of Hearne TX, who had a similar case to Tulia TX? Watch th emovie about her plight, it it called AMEIRCAN VIOLET. She didnt get compensatory damages. & she has 4 daughters she was raising.

Well, Texas is full of the "good ol' boys" who pass judgement for things they are doing behind closed doors. It's about HIGH time.

Correction. Her name is Dee Roberts.
More info here :
www.npr.o r g/templates/story/story.php?storyId=103077493

To God Be All the Glory!

From our experiences a Virginia State Trooper outright lied in court under oath, set an item to make the defendant look guilty and got caught lying abuout it, failed to record the reason he believed he could search the car without a search warrant, the judge outright lied in his denial response and failed to appy the law as it was written, the probation officer lied and failed to complete her job,the Asst.U.S. Attorney failed to share all evidence, three different videotapes have been presented of the same incident--no matter what occurred the content on the tapes should be exactly the same--denied the defendant his right to view the tapes for nine months, Asst. U.S. attorney has failed to provide copies of the videotape for the appeal, and the defendant's own attorney failed to file critical motions because the police failed to provide evidence to allow the trial to begin within 90 days and failed to share information with the defendant whom he failed to commuicate with for 50 plus days after being paid, no one could produce an arrest warrant as requested by the defendant--nine months later a documentation occured in the docket of a U.S. marshall filing one two months later, with the incorrect date, not signed by the defendant and filed in another city as opposed to going around the corner of the courtroom and filing in the clerk's office as required by law, the judge did not allow the defendant to speak at the sentencing hearing--the judge flipped off and walked out---many, many things have happened. With this posting I hope justice will be done for this defendant as well including monetary compensation. The judge clearly stated the lawyer could search the records for any information because it was public knowledge as opposed to being provided such as required by law. This was in response to the comment the information was not contained in the docket as required. (THEREFORE, all those people working at this federal office should be fired. There is no need for them to be there if the attorney is expected to search the public records of state cases for any information.) After it was pointed out in the transcripts the trooper had lied several times under oath, the judge stated he did not think it was intentional! This is after one of the trooper's was heard saying "I thought you were going to hook him up (meaning the defendant)!!! Did the officer attempt to set him up by cocking and maybe even planting this item in the car of the defendant? Why were the defendants not positioned to view anything removed from the car?

This was a case of profiling. Nothing the trooper alleged was captured on tape by the trooper! Why not?
All of the transcripts--the motion, trial and sentencing transcripts--have been altered in one way or another! However, the attorneys representing the defendant think this is NOT important! The defense attorney after the trial disappeared for more than three months as opposed to working on the PSI-NOTHING WAS DONE TO HELP THIS DEFENDANT! The defendant was brought to the sentencing hearing in shackles! This is against the law per the U.S. Supreme Court! There was no history of any violence. After the Virginia State trooper perjured himself the U.S. Attorney's Office has refused to bring charges against this trooper! The Virginia State Bar Association saw nothing wrong with the behavior of the defense attorney! The Asst. Attorney in Harrisonburg, VA, clearly stated he had no intention of showing the video to the end. It is at the end you can hear the trooper state he cocked the weapon and the defendant asked for a lawyer.The Asst. U.S. Attorney knew this was on the tape. However, the Asst. U.S. attorney convinced the defense attorney there was nothing on the end of the tape relevant to the trial! Lastly someone in the U.S. attorney's office and another trooper put their own words to a very garbled tape as confirmed by the judge as the words spoken by the defendant and the judge allowed this newly created video to be shown to the jury. This the judge's way of putting the defendant on the stand if the defendant wanted to dispute the tape and open the defendant up to everything else inclding anything in his past as well as anything else the Asst. U.S. attorney could throw at him.

iT WOULD HAVE BEEN AN ALL-WHITE JURY EXCEPT THEY ALLOWED ONE BLACK MALE. EVERY other Afrian-American in the courtroom was not acceptable to the Assistant U.S. Attorney. LASTLY THE NEWLY HIRED DEFENSE ATTORNEY TOOK THE DEFENDANT'S DEFENSE OF PROFILING AWAY FROM HIM BY STATING TO THE JUDGE IT WAS NOT A CASE OF PROFIING SIMPLY BECAUSE HE REFUSED TO INVESTIGATE AFTER MONTHS OF REQUESTING SUCH. After the motion hearing this attorney tells the defendant no informatin used at the moton heaing could be used at the trial and he could not subponea out of state witnesses. That is the biggest untruth I have ever heard of.YET THIS ATTORNEY PROVIDED NOTHING IN WRITING as requested TO CONFIRMED SUCH. NEITHER ATTORNEY INFORMED THE DEFENDANT OF THE FEDERAL LAWS and both failed to filed critical motions in a timely manner that should have released the defedant because the federal laws so states. AND NOW THIS ATTORNEY HAS ASKED THE DEFENDANT TO NOT "BURN HIM" YET the defendant HAS BEEN IN JAIL/PRISON SOON TO BE TWO YEARS FOR SUCH INCOMPETENCE! AFTER MANY ATTEMPTS FOR OUTSIDE ASSISTANCE, ACLU, GOVERNOR'S OFFICE, VIRGINIA STATE BAR--NO ONE GOT INVOLVED.The representatives were all white. YET, THIS PERSON HAS CLEARLY BEEN RAILROAD THROUGH THIS SYSTEM! NOT TO MENTION HIS TREATMENT WHILE INCARCERATED IN THE VIRGINIA JAILS.

THERE MUST BE AN IMMEDIATE METHOD FOR MONITORING DEFENSE ATTORNEYS AND THIS LEGAL SYTEM IN VIRIGINIA. THEY DO WHATEVER THEY WANT TO DO--NOTHING. WITHOUT MORE MONEY TO HIRE YE ANOTHER UNKNOWN LAWYER FROM VIRGINIA TO ATTEMPT TO GET OUR MONEY BACK TO HIRE SOMEONE TO REPRESENT THE DEFENDANT, THE ATTORNEYS CONTINUE TO REFUSED TO RETURN THE MONEY--CLEARLY THIS DEFENDANT WAS NOT REPRESENTED PROPERLY AND HAS BEEN TAKEN ADVANTAGE OF.

IF YOU MENTION ERIC HOLDER'S NAME AND ERIC HOLDER'S COMMENTS MADE REGARDING THE EXPECTATION OF THE U.S. ATTORNEH'S OFFICE, THE COMMENT MADE WAS ERIC HOLDER IS NOT HERE!

THERE IS A MAJOR PROBLEM IN THE DISTRICT COURT FOR HARRISONBURG, VA. AN OUTSIDE INVESTIGATION MUST BE DONE TO ASSIST ALL OF THE MEN WHO HAVE BEEN WRONGLY INCARCERATED. TO TOP IT OFF THIS JUDGE SUMMARIZED WHAT HE BELIEVED FOR THE COURT. IS THIS NOT BEING BIASED?
WHO IS GOING TO HELP THIS DEFENDANT? THE TARGET SHEET WAS INCORRECTLY WRITTEN. INFORMATION HAS BEEN OMITTED ON PURPOSE.

WHY IS NO ONE MONITORING THE LEGAL SYSTEM FOR VIRIGNIA? THE ONLY RESPONSE I GET IS YES, THIS IS THE COMMONWEALTH. WHAT IS THIS COMMENT TRULY IMPLYING? THE JUDGE DENIED ALMOST EVERY SINGLE OBJECTION THE DEFENSE ATTORNEY MADE. THE JUDGE'S BEHAVIOR WAS RUDE AND CRUDE. WHY IS HE STILL ON THE BENCH? BETTER STILL, WHY IS THIS JUDGE, AND THE ASSISTANT U.S. ATTONEY NOT IN JAIL?

A NEWSPAPER REFUSED TO PRINT THE TRUTH! DOES THIS MEAN RACISM IS STILL ALIVE AND WELL IN VIRGINIA? PEOPLE APPEAR TO BE AFRAID TO SAY OR DO ANYTHING. THE DEFENDANT DOES NOT LIVE IN VIRGINIA. HE AND MANY OTHER MANY MEN WILL CONTINUE TO BE RAILROADED WITH UNSUBSTANTIATED HIGHWAY STOPS FOR AN ALLEGED TRAFFIC VIOLATION WHICH THE VIRGININA STATE TROOPER IS NOT REQUIRED TO PROVIDE DOCUMENTATION. THE TROOPER IS ALLOWED TO TESTIFY WITH HIS NOTES ABOUT SOMETHING HE HIMSELF DID NOT WITNESS--HEARSAY--LIE ABOUT COCKING A WEAPON--IS THIS WHY THE ITEM WAS TAKEN OFF THE CAMERA FOR A PICTURE? NOT RECORD WHY HE STOPPED THE PERSON AND BELIEVED HE COULD SEARCH THE CAR--BECAUSE THERE WAS NOT A VALID REASON AND A MAN GOES TO PRISON! THIS IS NOT RIGHT. THERE IS DOCUMENTATION TO PROVE THIS TROOPER STOPS CARS ON A FICTIOUS REASON, SAYS THEY ARE NERVOUS, CHECKS TO SEE IF THERE IS A HISTORY OF ANY CRIMINAL ACTIVITY AND THEN THAT IS WHEN THIS TROOPER STATES HE IS GOING TO CALL THE DOGS AND SEARCH AROUND THE CAR BECAUSE HE CAN DO THIS ACCORDING TO THE SUPREME COURT RULING. THIS IS HARRASSMENT AND MUST STOP.tHE TROOPER DID TESTIFY HE WAS A PART OF THE DRUG TEAM WHOSE JOB WAS TO SEEK OUT ANY DRUG ACTIVITY ON I_81. cONSEQUENTLY, THIS IS WHY CARS ARE STOPPED FOR UNSUBSTANTIATED NOT PROVEN OR QUESTIONED ALLEGED TRAFFIC VIOLATIONS SUCH AS DRIVING TOO CLOSE TO ANOTHER CAR. IT IS A SET UP.

IN THE LAST CASE THE TROOPER USED THE SAME M.O. AND DISCOVERED THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS, TOOK THE MONEY AND LET THE MEN GO! COME ONE. ANYONE WOULD HAVE THOUGHT POSSIBLE DRUG ACTIVITY. LATER IT WAS DISCOVERED THE MONEY HAD TRACES OF COCAINE. DOES COCAINE HAVE AN ODOR? AT ANY RATE I WOULD HAVE DETAINED THE MEN SIMPLY BECAUSE THE DOGS FOUND THE MONEY. I WONDER WHAT NATIONALITY WERE THESE MEN? THE TROOPER THREATENED TO CALL THE DOGS WITH THIS DEFENDANT AND SEARCHED THE CAR NOT FINDING NOTHING NEARLY AS VALUABLE AS WHAT HE FOUND IN THE SUCEEDING CASE. HOWEVER, HE LET THE OTHER MEN GO. WHY? WHAT WAS THE DIFFERENCE?

NO ONE STOPPED ON THE HIGHWAY SHOULD EXPECT TO RECEIVE A FAIR TRIAL IN HARRISONBURG, VIRGINIA OR FAIR REPRESENTATION. IT IS A CLOSED CASE AND OUTSIDERS ARE NOT ALLOWED IN TO REPRESENT THE CLIENT.

WITHOUT A DOUBT THE TROOPER, DEFENSE ATTORNEYS,THE ASSISTANT U.S. ATTORNEY, THE JUDGE AND PROBATION OFFICER ALL SHOULD BE IN JAIL NOW--NOT THE DEFENDANT. IT MAY REQUIRE THE F.B.I. FROM OUTSIDE TO COME INTO VIRGINA BEFORE THIS SITUATION IS CORRECTED. AS LONG AS WE CONTINUED TO TURN OUT HEADS AS THEY DO, AND NOT GET INVOLVED, THOSE MEN (AND PROBABLY A FEW WOMEN) WILL CONTINUE TO BE TREATED AS IF THEY HAVE NOT RIGHTS. HOWEVER, WHEN IT BECOMES ONE OF YOUR FAMILY MEMBERS, THEN IT BECOMES IMPORTANT. EACH OF THESE PERSONS INDICATED ABOVE SHOULD BE TRANSPORTED TO A BLACK JAIL WITH AN ALL BLACK SETTING AS MANY OF THESE MEN ARE AND TREATED ACCORDINGLY INCLUDING THE CO PUTTING THEIR FINGER IN THE INMATES FOOD. TAKE ONE MAN BY HIMSELF TO THE GYM FOR WHAT? WHAT CAN BE DONE ABOUT IT WHEN THESE MEN ARE ISOLATED FROM SOCIETY AND FAMILY MEMBERS ARE DENIED ACCESS AS WELL AS TELEPHONE PRIVILEDGES DENIED IN SOME CASES?

SO YES, THESE MEN DEFINTELY SHOULD BE PAID FOR BEING ILLLEGALLY INCARCERATED AS WELL AS FOR THE STRESS AND ANXIETY OF WHAT THEY HAD TO ENDURE--ICE COLD JAIL CELLS IN THE WINTER--NO HEAT--THEIR FOOD "LOST OR TAKEN AWAY FROM THEM" AND MUCH MORE i AM SURE. NO ONE IS MONITORING WHAT IS HAPPENING TO THESE MEN. WE NEED TO WAKE UP BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE.

SOMETIMES MONEY CANNOT NOT RETURN THE INCARCERATED MAN TO WHO HE WAS BEFORE ALL OF THIS HAPPENED. HIS LIFE WAS TAKEN AWAY FROM HIM IN MORE THAN ONE WAY. HOWEVER, IT IS A START AND SHOULD BE MORE.

How about all the low income young adults that are picked up and given public defendents who encourage them to take a plea deal at a lower offense because it "just" gets them probation for a couple of years and avoids a court trial....

They they find out with a record future jobs, loans, schooling is closed to them. They were innocent, but the police picked them up, got credit for the arrest, the courts are so full they got another case of the docket...even the 'victim' is happy something was done.

There is so much wrong with our system it makes me ill...

My sons, Sky McClore and Warrior Fennell were charged with selling over 150 kilos of cracked cocaine each from 2005 to 2008. This means they sold over 3 million dollars each worth. If this is the case as I stated to the judge in Austin, Texas is a lie. If so where is my paid for home, car. Why is it my husband and I are driving our baby daughter's car. But if this is the case, where are my back teeth and my husband's front teeth. No one is this family has any funds in a bank. So We need a system to give the innocent some funds to say our judicial system is sorry. Please show their cases to all in United States. Check out what was said in their court cases. How can individuals be put in jail but never caught with the drugs and given 14 years each. Sky nor Warrior never were caught with the drugs. No evidence. Why sentenced for a major crime. Only a allegation of what an FBI thought he saw. Help these guys and those that are actually innocent. Create a committee for each state to research the condition of why being put in jail. Many individuals may be indicted for wrong for a long time without being discovered. Good investigation requires enough personnel to do the work properly and adequate attention in equipment, supervision and data gathering. All law enforcements personnel are not correct.

AS LONG AS JUDGES ARE LAWYERS,NOTHING WILL CHANGE.IN CANADA,VERIFIABLE DOCUMENTS ARE PRESENTLY NOT ALLOWED,AND JUDGES ARE APPOINTED BY COMMITTEES.OF LAWYERS AND UNELECTED (AND ELECTED)POLITICIANS,WHO RUN OUR GOVT.TAKE A LOOK AT SUPREME COURT FILE SCC 31539 IN CANADA.THIS WAS ONE OF THE LARGEST COVER UPS IN CANADIAN HISTORY,ALL THE WAY UP TO THE PMS OFFICE,WHO REWARDED MANY PEOPLE FOR THEIR PARTICIPATION IN FRAUD.AT LEAST YOU HAVE A PRESIDENT WHO IS TRYING TO CLEAN UP THIS MESS.WE DO NOT HAVE THAT OPTION IN CANADA,AS ALL POLITICAL AND JUDICIAL CALLS ARE KEPT SECRET,AND ALL DECISIONS ARE BASED ON FRIENDSHIPS,NOT FACTS.NOT ONE SINGLE LAWYER CAME FORWARD TO ENFORCE THE RULES OF LAW.IN FACT WE ASKED FOR UNIVERSAL LEGAL CARE,SO WHITE COLLAR CRIME AND THE WRONGFULLY CONVICTED WOULD BE COVERED.HOWEVER,ITS EASIER TO PAY JUDGES AND THEIR COLLUDING COHORTS,HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS OF PUBLIC FUNDS(PLEASE DO NOT USE THE WORD TAXPAYER)ON A DAILY BASIS.OUR GST/PST COLLECTS OVER 2 BILLION DOLLARS PER HOUR DAILY IN CANADA,AND THESE FUNDS ARE KEPT FROM THE PUBLIC,BY THESE CONTROL FREAKS.ENOUGH SAID.I HOPE THE FUTURE WAKES UP,AND THESE PROBLEMS ARE RESOLVED.

I'm jappy to see people get something out of being wrongly sent to jail they need something to live on after all they've been though but I am DAM tried of all the bush bashing He had to make due with the mess clinton life behind and now we got a black in the white house and look whar his done It's all for the blacks now us white folk will be on welfare if the blacks let us have it why couldn't just report about the people wrongfully put in jail being freed and getting some pay back, but you couldn't do that could you,
have obama in our white makes me ashamed to be an american our counrty is going to hell and obamas taking us there

i agree with the payments to the "exonerees" but i think that some kind of punishment should be meted out the police,prosecutors,and judges for their gross negligence..........

Mr. Gavrielides you are bang on about the Canadian Judicial system.

Damn spics, jews, niggers, towel heads, japs, and nazis are taken over the world. I think clinton f'd up adn bush just made it a hell of a lot worse. And the only damn thing canadians can do is make bacon.

$80,000/365 days per year = $219/day

Shit, send me to jail for a week!

America has no JUSTICE! Irwin Schiff is currently incarcerated in Federal Prison for a crime he never committed. What was his alleged crime? He refused to pay a tax on his income for which he was NOT LIABLE. All you Americans listen up. Every time you file a 1040 form to pay the "Federal Income Tax", a tax on Federal Income, you commit a felony. You sign that 1040 form under penalties of perjury and admit to having "Federal Income" while you do not because you are an employee of WalMart. A income tax "return" is a form for federal employees who work for the federal government by privilege and because of their extra good pay, they are taxed on their income and it is sent back to the government as a "Return". Know this friends, no law can make anyone sign a tax form under penalties of perjury! When you sign, you give the government permission to prosecute you criminally. That's right, you are considered a criminal because you made a honest mistake on the tax form and the IRS has determined it to be a very large mistake and they will come after you as a federal criminal. Best thing you can do starting today, is to call your local IRS office or write them a certified letter and tell them you can no longer file the popular 1040 form because you are not willing to perjure yourself by admitting to owing a tax on your nonfederal income and that you don't want to give the government permission to prosecute you for a crime that you did not commit, such as tax evasion. Tell your employer to strike out the W-4 you submitted to him/her because you mistakenly signed the W-4 not knowing you committed a felony, because you never knew that you were asking to have taxes deducted on your pay that was not "federal income" and since you are not working for the government and your pay does not come from a federal payroll, there is nothing to be sent back to the government as a "tax return". Irwin Schiff never earned one dime from the government but the judge, Kent J Dawson falsely judged Mr Schiff as being a federal criminal and denied Mr Schiff from defending himself with witnesses, evidence and the Constitution. Mr Dawson is the criminal along with the DOJ and the IRS and all of them deserve a trial for their criminal behaviour. It's time for real justice in America. It will take all Americans to get involved and study to be approved. Know this also. The Internal Revenue Code does not exist but yet it is displayed today by worthless revisions of the Internal Revenue Laws that were "Repealed" on February 10, 1939. The facts are in the government archives and elsewhere. Don't let the current administration of the federal government have any slack again with the DOJ. Let's hold our Government Department of Justice accountable. Stop paying federal income taxes which is nothing less than free money given over to the government at your will. Ask your congressman to retrieve the law that makes you liable for the income tax. Ask him/her will they defend you with respect to Article 1, section 2, clause 3, section 9, clause 4 of the Constitution. Lastly let me say that my congressman, Gus Bilirakis has let me down in defending me with the Constitution on direct taxes, where the IRS has determined (The IRS has no authority to determine anyting about income taxes, but the Secretary of the Treasury does have the authority)that I owe taxes from a 1040 I last filed forever in 2001, for a refund only. I believe Mr Bilirakis is more concerned about preserving his career with the government than protecting me a nonfederal citizen against the IRS who has falsely accused me of owing a tax for which I could never be liable for, and making a substitute for return for which the IRS themselves did not sign under penalties of perjury as to being the truth. No, the IRS is all liars and is supported by our Secretary of the US Treasury all the way to the top. Get the pay you deserve in your workplace by stopping the deductions from your paycheck for a tax on "federal income" of which you do not earn or receive. Knowledge is power, when......you use it!

"and now we got a black in the white house and look whar his done" You know some people will go all out to show how foolish they are and MARY you did just that in more ways than one with your racist statement.

"and now we got a black in the white house and look whar his done" You know some people will go all out to show how foolish they are and MARY you did just that in more ways than one with your racist statement.