Innocence Project, exonerees press Judiciary Committee on compensation process and pre-settlement loan oversight

HARTFORD — Advocates for wrongfully convicted people and several exonerees testified to the General Assembly Judiciary Committee on March 28, urging lawmakers to clarify the state’s process for approving exoneree compensation and to require public reporting and safeguards for pre-settlement loans that many exonerees use after release.

The testimony focused on two bills before the committee — HB 7251 and SB 1544 — and on several awards recommended by the claims commissioner that the committee is invited to confirm. Amanda Walwin, a state policy advocate with the Innocence Project, told the panel the nonprofit supports HB 7251 because it “clarifies and streamlines the process ensuring everyone is on the same page” and supports SB 1544 “which will require reporting on pre settlement loans for exonerees.”

The bills and awards matter because exonerees often face immediate financial needs after release, witnesses said. Walwin described the loans as “a critical lifeline toward rebuilding their lives” for some clients, but warned that the contracts can be opaque and potentially exploitative. She asked legislators to consider whether state support…