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Committee backs bill to compensate Arizonans wrongfully convicted; supporters cite lasting harm
Summary
House Bill 2813, introduced by Rep. Powell, would create a compensation program for people exonerated in Arizona; the committee gave the measure a due-pass recommendation after emotional testimony from exonerees and victims’ advocates.
A House Special Committee on Public Safety and Law Enforcement voted to give House Bill 2813 a due-pass recommendation after proponents described the long-term harms experienced by people who were wrongfully convicted.
Representative Russell Powell, the bill’s sponsor, said the measure creates a statutory compensation process for people who were pardoned on grounds of innocence, whose convictions were overturned, or whose charges were dismissed. Powell described the bill as an act of accountability: “This is a bill for erroneous convictions, compensation to those who have been whose lives have been interrupted, disturbed, injured in ways that none of us could ever imagine,” he said.
Hope Delop of the Arizona Justice Project testified in support, describing the organization’s work representing wrongfully convicted people and urging the committee to establish compensation and related services including mental-health and educational assistance.
Two men who said they were wrongfully convicted spoke to the committee about long-term impacts. Khalil Rashdan told members he served 15½ years for a murder he said he did not commit and described lost family time: “I was not able to raise my daughter who was 6 years old when I went in,” Rashdan said. Drayton Witt, who said his conviction was overturned after 12 years, described repeated violence while incarcerated, including being attacked and stabbed: “I was attacked. I was stabbed 73 times and nearly killed on a prison yard in Winslow while serving a sentence for a crime I did not commit,” Witt said.
Committee members from both parties praised the speakers and described the bill as a first step toward accountability. Several members noted the measure draws on models used in other states; the sponsor said the bill mirrors compensation statutes in states such as Virginia and Utah.
The committee approved the bill and recorded a roll-call result of 13 yes, 0 no, 0 present, 2 absent. The committee record shows a due-pass recommendation advancing HB 2813 to the House floor. Committee members urged continuing work on implementation details, including retroactivity and how awards are calculated.
