The state of Kansas is poised to take a significant step toward righting a grave injustice, the theft of people’s freedom for crimes they did not commit.
On Friday, legislators worked out a compromise, agreeing to award $65,000 per year for every year an exoneree was wrongfully imprisoned.
Initial payments would be up to $100,000 or 25 percent of what is owed. Subsequent annual payments would be $80,000.
The reason is telling. Several Kansas men were wrongfully imprisoned for so long that legislators felt it would take too many years to fairly compensate them without the higher yearly payouts.
Read more about the compensation here.
Wrongful Convictions Blog 
That’s great news. However, I hear that the new mandatory compensation payments are making states even more reluctant to exonerate people because of the compensation they would have to pay.