Easley signs law raising payments to innocent
Tuesday,
August
5
( 12:32 pm)
RALEIGH (AP) — A new North Carolina law will allow people erroneously convicted of crimes to receive more generous compensation for the time they spent behind bars.
Gov. Mike Easley today signed into law a measure boosting the amount of money the state can award people who have been wrongly convicted of crimes and granted a pardon of innocence by the governor. The new measure allows them to receive $50,000 for each year spent in prison, as compared with the earlier $20,000 limit.
The measure also allows the erroneously convicted to receive job skills training or college education.
The new compensation level takes effect immediately and applies to anyone who has been declared innocent since 2004.
