Wisconsin among lowest for paying wrongfully convicted - WQOW TV: Eau Claire, WI NEWS18 News, Weather, and Sports

MILWAUKEE (WKOW)-- Comparing Texas and Wisconsin, there's a significant difference when it comes to compensating wrongfully convicted people. After a Texas man served 30 years in prison for a rape he didn't commit, the state of Texas awarded him $2.4 million in compensation. In Milwaukee a man served 23 years after being wrongfully convicted of homicide, but the state of Wisconsin awarded him just $25,000.

This gap highlights the disparity between different states and how they help exonerated prisoners get a fresh start in society. Some allow million-dollar payouts, but others cap awards at $25,000 and some offer nothing at all.

The New York-based Innocence Project works to help clear the wrongfully convicted. Policy Director Stephen Saloom says the group would like to see all 50 states match the federal policy. That policy states that each wrongfully convicted person deserves up to $50,000 for each year of incarceration, plus another $50,000 for each year on death row.

Saloom says a number of states have begun re-evaluating their compensation policies.