New Kentucky bill would compensate people who are wrongfully convicted

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Kentucky is one of only 12 states that doesn't automatically pay people who are wrongfully convicted of a crime.

But House Bill 571 aims to change that. It would compensate exonerated Kentuckians who have spent time behind bars for crimes they didn't commit.

On Thursday, June 8, Louisville Rep. Jason Nemes (R-District 33) and advocates from the Innocence Project testified in support of the bill.

They were joined by some exonerated Kentuckians, including Edwin Chandler. More than a decade ago, Chandler was paid $8.5 million by the city of Louisville in a settlement.

He was wrongfully convicted of murder back in 1995 and spent nearly nine years in prison.

"When I was released, I made parole and so I had to serve another seven years on parole as a criminal," Chandler said. "But once my exoneration happened, I thought those things would turn around. Having this compensation bill, you have to understand that the jobs that we would go and seek, we're not going to get those jobs as being a regular citizen."

The bill is expected to go before state lawmakers early next year.