KANSAS CITY —How much is a year of your life in prison worth? That's what Kansas lawmakers have debated for years.
Wrongfully convicted and imprisoned Kansans could get compensation for spending years behind bars for crimes they did not commit.
On Thursday, the Kansas Legislature sent a bill to the governor that would make those wrongly imprisoned eligible to receive $65,000 for each year they served. It would apply to those previously exonerated and anyone exonerated in the future.
Kansas lawmakers passed one of the strongest laws in the country to compensate people who've been exonerated. The bill now heads to the governor's desk.
House Bill 2579 provides exonerees with $65,000 per year of wrongful imprisonment and $25,000 for each year wrongfully served on parole, probation or the sex offender registry.
Since 2015, the state of Kansas has exonerated three men who were wrongfully convicted:
- In 2015, Floyd Bledsoe for first degree murder and kidnappings.
- In 2017, Lamonte McIntyre for double murder
- In 2017, Richard Jones for aggravated robbery.
All three men were serving time in the Lansing Correctional Facility. All three are now in their 40's.
Jones has moved to Missouri, but continues to work with his attorneys to force change in Kansas.
"I'm pretty sure that people who are going through what we went through, we're giving them hope. It's like, it's not a quiet subject anymore," said Jones.
Jones served 17 years of his 19 year sentence. McIntyre served 23 years before he was released last October.
"Money can't make it right. Money can't change the past. It's a step in the right direction. We still got a lot to do. It's putting a band aid on something that needs stitches," said McIntyre.
Non-monetary benefits include housing, tuition assistance, counseling, participation in the state's health care program and financial literacy training.
A spokesperson for Kansas Gov. Jeff Colyer tells 41 Action News that he's still reviewing the bill, and he thoughtfully considers any legislation that reaches his desk.
