Ga. Senate hearing could lead to compensation for some who were wrongfully incarcerated
ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) - Time is running out on this legislative session as some lawmakers try to push a resolution forward that would compensate some Georgians who were wrongfully convicted and later exonerated.
A rare early morning hearing at the state capitol fostered a deep conversation about compensating people who have been wrongfully convicted, leading to lost years sitting in prison for a crime they did not commit.
“We are talking about claimants today who were exonerated, each one based on new evidence. These are not mistakes; this is new evidence,” State Rep. Katie Dempsy (R-Rome) said.
Dempsy is leading the charge on House Resolution 128, which ed in the House 151-12.
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Curling v. Raffensperger was one of Georgia’s longest-running election lawsuits in history.
It aims to compensate five particular people who were wrongfully convicted in Georgia, including Joey Watkins.
He was accused of killing a man named Isaac Dawkins in 2000 but was later exonerated.
Dawkins’ father spoke before the committee Tuesday morning, saying he does not compensating Watkins because he’s still not convinced he didn’t do it.
“It’s just been a nightmare, a nightmare that never ends. Try to imagine that your child was murdered and now you’ve got people trying to give him $1.8 million,” Sam Dawkins said.
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For the advocates of people who have been exonerated, like Joe Cook, he said this is long overdue. Georgia is one of only a handful of states that does not already have laws on the books for this.
“My question is if your neighbor comes to you seeking compensation and you know that you have violated his liberty, you have violated his rights, are you willing to give these men three cents out of this $20 bill to right a wrong?” Cook asked the committee.
An earlier version of a bill offered up to $100,000 for each year a person was wrongfully imprisoned, but it was never brought to the floor for a vote. This resolution moved forward instead.
Dempsey said she knows with the end of the session looming Friday, it will be an uphill battle to get this ed in time, but she has hope.
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