LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Legislation advancing in Michigan would allocate $10 million to compensate people wrongly incarcerated in state prisons.
The House voted unanimously Tuesday for the bill that would appropriate the money and require the state to issue quarterly reports on payments made from the Wrongful Imprisonment Compensation Fund.
More than $6 million has been disbursed from the fund since it was created in 2016. It is nearly empty.
Wrongfully imprisoned inmates are eligible for $50,000 for each year of their incarceration, plus attorney fees and other costs.
It is estimated that there are 39 outstanding claims for which former prisoners have not been compensated, totaling between $21 million and $24 million.
The legislation next goes to the Senate.
