TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — A law that allows compensation to people wrongfully convicted and imprisoned in Florida could be revised to make some felons eligible under a bill going to Gov. Rick Scott.
The House unanimously passed the bill Wednesday, a week after the Senate did the same. It would change the so-called "clean hands" requirement of the compensation law.
Florida now allows compensation up to $50,000 annually for people who are proven innocent of a crime for which they were imprisoned. But anyone who committed a felony before or after the wrongful incarceration isn't eligible.
Under the bill, a prior felony wouldn't preclude someone from being compensated if they were imprisoned for an unrelated crime of which they were later proven innocent. Exceptions would be made if the person committed violent or multiple felonies.
