North Carolina Advocacy

Pardons for innocence

Under North Carolina law, individuals who are wrongfully convicted face unnecessary barriers to full restitution. Only those who receive gubernatorial pardons or are granted review by the extrajudicial Innocence Inquiry Commission can begin the process of applying for compensation. Individuals already found innocent must pass through this extra process to be made whole. 

Pardons for innocence were not intended to prevent the exonerated from receiving just compensation. Applicants, once pardoned, must still pass through review by the NC Industrial Commission, a six-person board that approves the disbursement of funds. However, funding is often tied to release dates, rather than pardons, so those trapped by the pardon requirement can lose access to the money they have been found deserving of. Pardoned for Innocence hopes to alleviate this burden on those already wronged by the legal system.