PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) - A Democratic state lawmaker has introduced a bill to compensate people who were wrongfully imprisoned.
Rep. Patricia Serpa, of West Warwick, said Friday her bill would authorize anyone who was wrongfully sentenced to more than one year in prison to petition the Superior Court for an award of compensation and damages.
She says it’s the right thing to do and would help ensure the integrity of the criminal justice system.
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Democratic Sen. Cynthia Coyne, of Barrington, introduced similar legislation in the Senate.
Nonprofit organization The Innocence Project says 33 other states and Washington D.C. have varying compensation laws in place.
A former Rhode Island police officer who served time in prison for a murder he didn’t commit, Scott Hornoff, is pushing the state to adopt a wrongful conviction compensation law.
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