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Innocence advocates and Attorney General office differ on testing, compensation rules; panel urges statutory fixes
Summary
At the June 4 work session, the Washington Innocence Project and the Attorney General’s Office reviewed implementation of the Wrongfully Convicted Persons Act and identified procedural gaps that delay DNA testing and compensation for exonerees. The AG reported 36 compensation claims filed since 2013 and 11 resolved; advocates say only nine people
Advocates and the Attorney General’s Office told the Law & Justice Committee on June 4 that Washington’s wrongful‑conviction compensation law and procedures for post‑conviction DNA testing need legislative clarification to deliver consistent relief.
"We don’t have a function in Washington state criminal law to declare somebody actually innocent," Laura Zaretsky, executive and policy director of the Washington Innocence Project, told the committee. She and colleagues said unclear statutory language and procedural barriers have made compensation and access to testing slower and more contentious than the drafters intended.
Why it matters: the Wrongfully Convicted Persons Act was intended to provide a pathway to compensation and services for people proved actually innocent. Advocates said only a small share…
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