JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Missouri state law currently does not guarantee compensation for everyone exonerated after a wrongful conviction. A new bill seeks to change that by expanding eligibility and increasing payouts.
Missouri State Sen. Steven Roberts (D-St. Louis) has introduced SB 36 for the ongoing legislative session, which aims to offer more financial support for exonerees once they are freed from imprisonment.
If approved, exonerees could be eligible for up to $179 per day or up to $65,000 per year as compensation for their time wrongfully spent in prison.
Under current Missouri statutes, exonerees are eligible for $100 per day after a wrongful conviction, but only if DNA testing conclusively proves their innocence.
The new bill would expand eligibility by removing the DNA limitation and making compensation contingent on a lawsuit and judge’s ruling. According to the bill’s language, an exoneree could qualify if…
- He or she was wrongfully convicted of a felony offense and subsequently imprisoned.
- His or her charges were dismissed after exoneration.
- He or she was found not guilty after a retrial.
- He or she was not an accessory in crimes that were the basis of the wrongful conviction.
- He or she did not fabricate evidence or commit perjury.
The bill allows exonerees to seek compensation up to two years after charges are dismissed and they are found not guilty in a retrial or after receiving a pardon.
Exonerees may also be eligible for $25,000 each year served on parole or post-release supervision, as well as assistance with counseling, housing, and compensation for up to 120 credit hours at a public institution, provided a judge rules in their favor.
While there have been several high-profile overturned convictions in Missouri in recent years, including Christopher Dunn in St. Louis and Kevin Strickland in Kansas City, financial support is not always easy for exonerees to come by upon release. Advocates of the new bill are hopeful it will provide more resources needed to secure housing, afford healthcare, and find employment after imprisonment.
However, a similar bill addressing these issues emerged from the Missouri legislature in 2023, only to be vetoed by former governor Mike Parson. At the time, that bill was part of a broader crime package, whereas the current proposal is a standalone measure focused specifically on wrongful convictions.
The bill has completed two readings in the Missouri Senate and is now under review from the Senate’s Judiciary and Civil and Criminal Jurisprudence Committee, according to the Senate’s online bill tracker.