Bill to compensate wrongly convicted heads to Idaho governor
FILE - In this Feb. 11, 2020 file photo, Christopher Tapp, from left, Republican Rep. Doug Ricks and Charles Fain appeared before the Idaho House Judiciary, Rules and Administration Committee in Boise, Idaho, to testify in favor of legislation that would compensate the wrongly convicted. Tapp and Fain combined spent nearly 40 years in Idaho prisons for crimes they didn't commit after being convicted of murder. The House voted unanimously Wednesday, March 18, 2020, to approve the amended measure from the Senate that would pay $60,000 a year for wrongful incarceration and $75,000 per year on de…
BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Legislation that would compensate the wrongly convicted headed to the governor's desk on Wednesday.
The House voted 64-1 to approve the amended measure from the Senate that would pay $60,000 a year for wrongful incarceration and $75,000 per year on death row.
Backers say the state needs to take responsibility when an innocent person is incarcerated. Idaho is one of 15 states that doesn't compensate people sent to prison for crimes they didn't commit.
Idaho has several notable cases including Christopher Tapp. He was convicted of rape and murder following the 1996 death of Angie Dodge.
He was released in 2017, and DNA evidence cleared him in 2019. Brian Leigh Dripps was arrested on DNA evidence last year and is charged with rape and murder in Dodge's death.
Another former inmate who could benefit from the legislation is Charles Fain.
Fain was convicted of kidnapping, rape and murder in 1983 following the death of 9-year-old Daralyn Johnson. In 1984 he was sentenced to death.
But DNA evidence not available at the time of the conviction later cleared him, and he was released in 2001. Johnson's killer hasn't been identified.
The bill's sponsor, Republican Rep. Doug Ricks, said six former inmates could benefit from the measure.