Bill approval would extend compensation for the wrongfully imprisoned

At the time of Jones’ release in 2018, no one in the country had spent more time incarcerated for a crime for which he was later cleared of all charges.
  • Wilbert Jones, who spent 46 years incarcerated after having been wrongfully convicted, and his wife Mary stand in front of the Baton Rouge home they were able to buy with money from the state’s Innocence Compensation Fund. Cross Harris/LSU Manship School News Service
    Wilbert Jones, who spent 46 years incarcerated after having been wrongfully convicted, and his wife Mary stand in front of the Baton Rouge home they were able to buy with money from the state’s Innocence Compensation Fund. Cross Harris/LSU Manship School News Service
    Wilbert Jones served 46 years in prison for a crime he did not commit, and after he was released, the state compensated him financially. Now, the Legislature seeks to increase financial compensation for people like Jones who were wrongfully imprisoned.“People approach us when they know his story, and they make comments like, ‘Oh, you spent half of your life in prison,’” said Mary...

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