Attorney general, innocence groups and exonerees back administrative compensation pathway for wrongful convictions

The Joint Committee on the Judiciary heard support for legislation (H 19 65 / S 11 32) that would create an administrative claims process for victims of wrongful conviction. Attorney General Andrea Campbell’s office and innocence advocacy groups told the committee the current litigation-based system is slow, adversarial and often yields settlement outcomes that are much reduced by attorney fees and costs. Under the proposed bill, the attorney general would administer a non-adversarial claims process with standardized compensation amounts, transitional assistance and social-service advocates for approved claimants.

Attorney General staff said they had worked with innocence organizations to design the bill and argued the administrative route will allow more equitable and predictable awards while reducing litigation costs for the Commonwealth. They also outlined services that would be available under the new process — immediate transitional cash, eligibility for state benefit programs, tuition and services, and compensation tied to years wrongfully incarcerated with an inflation adjustment mechanism.

Innocence Project leaders and exonerees described the perilous post-release experience under the current system: delayed payments, caps that do not reflect decades of lost life, and the burden of hiring counsel to pursue civil claims. They urged the committee to pass the bill to expedite relief and to provide reentry services for formerly incarcerated people who were wrongly convicted.

Committee members asked about administrative safeguards, proof standards and workload for the Attorney General’s office; AG witnesses said the bill contains eligibility criteria, timelines and appeal paths and that their office would work with stakeholders to finalize a workable administration plan. No committee vote was taken at the hearing.