28-02-2025
Oregon bill aims to fix broken system for wrongfully convicted
PORTLAND, Ore. () — Oregon lawmakers are reviewing a key bill to fix what they call a broken compensation system for people wrongfully convicted of crimes.
Exonerees and advocates are pushing for a faster, fairer process that gives justice to those who've waited far too long.
Advocates say Oregon's law to compensate the wrongfully convicted isn't working as intended.
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On Thursday, Oregon exonerees and advocates testified in support of Senate Bill 1007, including two of the state's 40 known wrongfully convicted individuals.
spent 27 years in prison for the murder of an Oregon Corrections director before new evidence led to his exoneration.
And Philip Scott Cannon served 11 years after being wrongfully convicted of a triple murder in 2000.
'I keep trying to figure out how many times I have to relive this nightmare,' Cannon said.
If this movement sounds familiar, it's because the state passed the Oregon Justice for Exonerees Act in 2022. But the state says it's only compensated four of those 40 exonerees.
Advocates say the new bill creates a swift path for wrongfully convicted individuals to receive justice and compensation — $65,000 for each year of imprisonment.
Janis Puracal leads the Forensic Justice Project in Portland, driven by a personal mission after her brother's wrongful conviction. Puracal said her brother was tallying the days he spent in prison.
'We don't know how many are in Oregon because you haven't actually found all of them,' Puracal said, while testifying on Thursday in Salem.
Despite the exonerations in Oregon, Puracal said none of the individuals received a certificate of innocence — a crucial step toward rebuilding a normal life.
'Even if you were exonerated, you still have a stigma that attaches to you for the rest of your life. Everywhere you go, everything that you do, there's a stigma on people who have been in prison,' Puracal said.
This bill directs the Oregon Department of Justice to consider new evidence, set deadlines for faster resolutions and clarify intent.
'This is an opportunity for us to make things right,' Puracal said.
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In a statement, Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield acknowledged the slow process and said the ODOJ is taking steps to improve efficiency and resolve cases more quickly:
'Yes, we acknowledge that the process to provide compensation to wrongly convicted people has been too slow. Under Attorney General Rayfield's direction, DOJ is now taking internal steps to improve efficiencies and have begun making progress on significant case resolutions. We take seriously the responsibility that we have as an agency to ensure access to justice through the wrongful conviction compensation process.'
SB 1007 would take effect immediately if it's passed because of an emergency declaration. First, there's a work session set for March 6. If it passes the Oregon Senate, it moves to the House. And if both chambers approve it, the governor would sign it into law.
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