Missouri locked him up wrongfully for years. With no compensation, he’s in dire need
Keith Carnes needs a new prosthetic eye but can’t afford one. The price for the artificial eye is between $2,500 and $8,000, Carnes’ supporters said. He also lacks stable housing and has no vehicle.
A flaky murder conviction sent Carnes to prison for nearly two decades. Ideally, he would be compensated for being wrongfully imprisoned. Or he would be offered access to health benefits and other social services.
But no, Carnes will receive zero financial relief from the state of Missouri. Good luck, Mr. Carnes. Missouri wishes you and all other prisoners it’s forced to release well adjusting to life on the outside without any legal remedy authorizing the state to pay up for its error.
In Missouri, only those exonerated by DNA evidence are eligible for compensation
More than a week has passed since Carnes was released from prison after 18 years. He was deprived of his constitutional right to a fair trial, the Missouri Supreme Court recently ruled.
Defense attorneys were not made aware of a police informant turned secret witness, the court ruled. The first-degree murder conviction that sent Carnes to prison for life without the possibility of parole was vacated.
Jackson County prosecutors, citing insufficient evidence and the recantations of statements from witnesses, declined to retry Carnes in the 2003 shooting death of Larry White.
Evidence didn’t support the state’s argument that Carnes stood over White and fired multiple rounds into his body as he lay on the pavement in the parking lot of a Kansas City restaurant.
Last week, Carnes met with enthusiastic supporters, including some who had worked tirelessly for years on his behalf to set him free. Sadly, Carnes won’t receive a dime for his time in prison.
Legislation sponsored by state Rep. LaKeySha Bosley of St. Louis would provide monetary payments and other benefits to those in his situation. The bill hasn’t moved since it was read on the House floor in January.
Unlike Missouri, Kansas pays exonerated prisoners $65,000 for for every year spent locked up and $25,000 for every year wrongfully on probation or parole.
The compensation package does not end there. Mental health and other social services are included, as are housing and tuition assistance and financial literacy training.
Wrongly convicted prisoners in Kansas can have their convictions expunged at no cost, a non-monetary benefit Missourians don’t enjoy.
Similar post-relief compensation is offered in Iowa and Nebraska.
At the start of this week, a fundraising campaign had raised a little over $3,000 in support of Carnes. By contrast, a GoFundMe campaign established to support Kevin Strickland has netted nearly $1.8 million.
In November, a judge granted Jackson County prosecutors’ motion to clear Strickland in a 1978 triple murder and ordered his immediate release. He came home with not so much as an apology from state officials. He’s still raising money, and that’s wonderful.
But benevolence isn’t the answer to making wrongfully convicted prisoners whole again. The law is.
