MADISON, Wis. (AP) — A group of state lawmakers has proposed a bill that would raise Wisconsin’s cap on compensation for wrongful convictions from $25,000 to $1 million. Wisconsin currently offers the wrongly convicted $5,000 for every year of incarceration, up to $25,000. Under the bill, the wrongfully convicted could claim $50,000 per year of incarceration up to $1 million. They could also participate in the state health insurance plan for up to a decade at their own expense and access transitional services such as job training. Claimants would have to obtain a clear declaration of innocence from an administrative law judge to be eligible for the money. The bill would apply to anyone wrongfully convicted since Jan. 1, 1990. The bill’s authors estimate about 40 people would be eligible for compensation.
