Texas To Compensate The Innocent

In the last few years, the state of Texas has freed 39 prisoners who were proven to be innocent by DNA testing. These men had their lives destroyed by being charged with and convicted of crimes they did not commit. The state cannot give these men the years back that they spent in prison, but they are going to finally give them some compensation to help them get a new start.

Yesterday, the Texas House agreed to the Senate version of a compensation bill with a 132 to 13 vote. The governor is expected to sign the bill into law. The bill is known as the Tim Cole bill. Cole was an inmate who died in 1999 after serving years in prison for a rape he did not commit. He was cleared by DNA tests after his death.

Cole's brother, Cory Sessions, said, "Almost 25 years ago, the only thing people knew about Tim Cole's name was he was a convicted rapist. Now they know his name stands for a lot more."

Once signed into law, the bill will give Texas the most generous compensation package in the nation. To qualify for the compensation, a prisoner must be found to be innocent -- those released on a legal technicality will not qualify. Also, any exonerated person who is later convicted of a felony will be disqualified.

Texas will pay $80,000 for each year a person was in prison. They will also pay $25,000 for each year a person was on parole or had to register as a sex offender. Each person exonerated will also get 120 hours of tuition paid at a public college or training center. The original House version of the bill also provided health insurance, but the Senate removed that provision.

The Texas Legislature has been known to do some dumb things, so it's good to see them overwhelmingly pass a bill like this. I think both Democrats and Republicans realize this is the right thing to do.