Louisiana Owes Them Compensation. So Why Won't the State Pay Up?

In Louisiana, people who were wrongfully convicted and lost years, even decades, of their lives in state prison are legally entitled to compensation through the Louisiana Innocence Compensation Fund. But according to investigative reporter Richard Webster, Governor Jeff Landry and Attorney General Liz Murrill have fought to keep that money out of exonerees' hands, in some cases even when DNA evidence exonerated them or when judges personally apologized as they overturned wrongful convictions. In this episode, we break down: • How the Louisiana Innocence Compensation Fund is supposed to work • Why the state fights compensation claims even in cases with DNA evidence • How plea deals let prosecutors avoid public hearings, and who those deals really protect • Reports that AG Liz Murrill threatened to use the power of her office against an exoneree for publicly claiming his innocence • What accountability looks like when the state itself refuses to admit it got things wrong Our guest is Richard Webster, Investigative Reporter at Verite News and a member of the ProPublica Local Reporting Network, who has been digging into these cases and the officials fighting to deny compensation. Whether someone is exonerated by new evidence or forced into a plea deal to avoid a hearing, the state arrested them, charged them, convicted them, and incarcerated them. When that conviction is wrong, the state owes them. This episode asks why Louisiana keeps moving the goalposts on that debt. Support CJP: https://chicagojustice.org/donate/ Get Involved: https://chicagojustice.org/become-par...