ALBANY — Attorney General Eric Schneiderman plans to unveil legislation Wednesday that would make it easier for people wrongfully convicted of crimes to recover damages from the state.
Schneiderman’s Unjust Imprisonment Act would strip away restrictions in state law that block claims from people who were coerced into false confessions or who pleaded guilty to crimes they did not commit.
It would also allow claims from people exonerated by DNA evidence found after their convictions and would increase to three years from two the amount of time those wrongfully convicted have to bring a claim.
“Those who are wrongfully convicted and unjustly deprived of liberty must be allowed to seek compensation from the state, to help put their lives back together again,” said Schneiderman, who plans to announce the legislation during a speech at John Jay College of Criminal Justice.
