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Illinois exonerated waiting for pardons
Posted: June 23, 2008 3:10 pm
DNA exoneree Marlon Pendleton of Chicago is among 1,600 people waiting for a decision from Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich on his application for a pardon. Pendleton, who served 10 years in prison for a rape he didn’t commit, is seeking to clear his name and collect about $140,000 under the state’s exoneree compensation law.
"They say once you pay your debt to society, it's over," said Pendleton, his voice bristling with anger. "But I didn't even owe a debt to society, and I paid it, and it's not over."A former federal pardon official said the pardon backlog in Illinois may be the nation’s largest, and a federal district judge ruled recently that Blagojevich must decide on pardon applications “within a reasonable period of time."
Read the full story here. (Chicago Tribune, 06/23/08)
Tags: Illinois, Marlon Pendleton, Exoneree Compensation
Illinois Governor Pardons Four Exonerees
Posted: November 4, 2008 12:00 pm
When Jerry Miller goes to vote in Chicago on Tuesday – the first time in his life he will be able to vote, having been exonerated just last year – he will do so as a fully cleared man.
Miller, who served nearly 25 years in prison before DNA proved his innocence, is one of four exonerees recently pardoned by Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich. The pardons allow their criminal records to be expunged and pave the way for compensation.
Among those pardoned based on innocence were Marlon Pendleton and Jerry Miller, who were falsely convicted of sexual assault charges before DNA evidence exonerated them. Also pardoned was Luis Ortiz, convicted of a torture-murder in 1997 and exonerated in 2002, and Robert Wilson, pardoned after nearly a decade in prison for an attempted murder after he was falsely identified.
Read the full Chicago Tribune article here. (10/31/08)
Blagojevich had been heavily criticized by local press for delaying the pardon process. Pendelton was exonerated on Dec. 8, 2006 and immediately applied for a pardon, but faced a backlog of 16,000 other pardon applicants.
Since Pendelton’s original request, Illinois lawmakers passed legislation that allows exonerated individuals to seek certificates of innocence and immediate compensation as soon as courts find them innocent. The law had been vetoed by Blagojevich last September, but was overridden by the Illinois House and Senate to become state law.
What’s the compensation law in your state?
Tags: Illinois, Jerry Miller, Marlon Pendleton, Exoneree Compensation