Rabb highlights legislative remedy on International Wrongful Conviction Day

Rabb says state should compensate those wrongfully convicted

Rep. Christopher M. Rabb    October 2, 2022

HARRISBURG, Oct. 2 – State Rep. Chris Rabb, D-Phila., is re-emphasizing the importance of compensating those wrongfully convicted on International Wrongful Conviction Day.

“Today, October 2, marks the 9th annual International Wrongful Conviction Day,” Rabb said. “It is a day to remember the stolen liberty of countless people who have suffered at the hands of an unjust criminal justice system, and to reaffirm our commitment to compensating victims.”

Rabb has authored legislation (H.B. 170) that would help and restore justice to those who are wrongfully convicted by:

  • Providing monetary compensation to those wrongfully convicted and those wrongfully imprisoned.
  • Providing additional monetary compensation to those wrongfully placed on the sex offender’s registry, placed on parole, and placed on death row.
  • Establishing a mechanism for additional supports including education, housing, and reasonable reintegrative mental and physical health services. 

Rabb, who first proposed the legislation in 2020, said he is using input and feedback from current exonerees in Philadelphia to form his legislation, thereby ensuring a fair and well-guided process.

“My legislation would do something that should have happened a long time ago—providing compensation to those who should have never been convicted,” Rabb said. “It’s time the state atones for the consequential mistakes it has made.”