From Texas To New York: States Paying The Most In Exonerations

Recently, I did a story about cases from the Satanic Panic era in Texas. In those cases, the individuals accused and found guilty of outrageous and heinous crimes were later exonerated. Their records were wiped clean. Unfortunately, this was decades after their lives had been completely ruined. A new study recently determined which states rank highest in payouts to individuals who have been wrongfully imprisoned. Texas is near the top.

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Which States Have Paid The Most Over Wrongful Imprisonment?

The study was done by High Rise Financial using information taken from the National Registry of Exonerations. They found the total amounts paid since 1989 to those seeking compensation after wrongful imprisonment. The results were staggering.

According to the National Registry of Exonerations, there have been 3,481 exonerations since 1989. The Registry keeps detailed information on exonerations that have happened since 1989. They do have some limited information regarding exonerations before 1989.

The state with the most is New York. They've paid out a total of $322 million to exonerated people. If every person in the state of New York was asked to pitch in to pay that $322 million, it would come out to $15.97 per person.

Texas Ranks 4th In The Nation For States Paying The Most In Exonerations

According to the study, Texas has paid out roughly $155 million to exonerees since 1989. The cost per person in the entire state of Texas comes out to about $5.32. The study states that in Texas there have been 450 people who have been exonerated in Texas; 128 of which received compensation.

It's mind-boggling to me to think about every single person in the state ponying up five bucks and some change to pay out to people who were wrongfully imprisoned. When it comes to the Satanic Panic cases, hopefully, we learned some lessons in hysteria and fear as they relate to justice. It would be nice if things like this never happened at all and lives didn't get ruined.