Last week, Lamar Johnson was released from prison after spending 28 years locked up. Johnson had been given a life sentence for the murder of his friend Marcus Boyd. He was exonerated after a wrongful conviction trial found that he was convicted on faulty evidence — and two other men came forward who had actually committed the murder.
Now, Johnson is out in the world on his own. One of his attorneys, Jonathan Potts, told KMOX last week what it'll be like for him to navigate life on the outside, since the state of Missouri has no resources to offer him.
"You have to imagine right now, Lamar is coming out a 49-year-old man; he doesn't have a home. He doesn't have clothes. He doesn't have credit. It doesn't have anything. He's truly just starting completely fresh. And it's a challenging position for him to be in," Potts said on Total Information AM last week.
Missouri only offers compensation to the wrongfully convicted if they have been exonerated using DNA evidence. But there are some Missouri legislators who want to change that, like State Senator Brian Williams. He tells KMOX why he wants to change Missouri's policy on the matter.
"It started solely just by recognizing that most wrongfully convicted people, they spend years behind bars fighting to prove their innocence. And then upon release, they face a number of immediate challenges, such as obtaining housing, transportation, healthcare and other basic needs," Williams said.
He added that it's often harder for people who are wrongfully convicted to adjust to society than it is for people who actually committed crimes and are released, because they get post-release services through parole.
Williams wants to pass legislation that gives the wrongfully convicted annual compensation.
"The average amount that's paid to exonerees in states with compensation statutes is $70,000 per year of wrongful incarceration," he explained. "So right now, there's about 19 states that offer $50,000 or more per year of wrongful incarceration. And then when we looked at Missouri, by contrast, we only offered just $18,000."
Hear more from State Senator Brian Williams on how his legislation would work and help support the wrongfully convicted:
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