Charts, Tables, & Lists
Compensation Statutes: A National Overview - December 2024
This chart outlines which states offer compensation for the wrongly convicted and the process in each state.
Compensation by the Numbers: State Statutory Compensation - January 23, 2025
Thirty-eight states and the District of Columbia now have state wrongful conviction compensation statutes. How many exonerees listed in the Registry actually seek compensation under these statutes and how many are successful? How much money have states paid to exonerees listed in the Registry, what is the average amount paid per year of wrongful incarceration, and how many years lost have been subject to state compensation? Over the last several years, the Registry and Professor Jeffrey Gutman have collaborated on a state-by-state empirical research project to answer these questions and more. A summary of that data is provided in the accompanying table. HERE is an explanation of the spreadsheet.
Compensation by the Numbers: Federal Civil Rights Lawsuit Compensation - January 23, 2025
Exonerees may also file civil rights and tort lawsuits seeking compensation for their wrongful convictions. How many do so and what have the results of those lawsuits been? This spreadsheet, which will be updated periodically, shows state-by-state the numbers of successful and unsuccessful lawsuits, the amount of compensation received by successful exonerees, the average annual amounts of such compensation and the number of years lost to wrongful conviction compensated in the civil justice system. The Registry and Professor Jeffrey Gutman have collaborated on this empirical research project summarized in the accompanying table. HERE is an explanation of the spreadsheet.
Research and Publications
Compensation For Exonerees: A Primer - March 2025
Among the most frequently asked questions about exonerations are how, and how many, exonerees get compensated. While the Registry does not have complete data on compensation, which frequently happens many years after the exoneration itself, this short primer explains what we know about how exonerees get compensated for the years they spent wrongfully imprisoned.
Compensation Under The Microscope
Professor Jeffrey Gutman periodically examines wrongful conviction compensation issues and developments arising in particular states as well as emerging trends and policy issues related to compensation with nationwide implications.
- Indiana: How Well Has the State Compensation Statute, Passed in 2019, Fared?
- Florida: Why Does Florida Have One of The Lowest State Statutory Compensation Filing and Receipt Rates in the United States?
- Washington: What Does Washington Do About Dual-Eligibles?
- Pardons and Compensation
- Virginia: How Does State Compensation Work in Virginia And Why Does It Work So Well?
- Michigan: How Long Does it Take to Resolve State Compensation and Civil Rights Claims?
- Wisconsin: A Flawed Statute Just Got Worse - Updated, July, 2023
- Michigan: Why Does Michigan Deny So Many State Compensation Claims and What Is It Doing About It?
- Oregon: What Has Gone Wrong With Oregon's Wrongful Compensation Statute?