Exoneration Doesn’t Pay Back Lost Time, But It Helps

Texans who are exonerated of crimes that resulted in their being imprisoned can receive compensation from the state.

By Courtney CollinsOctober 25, 2019 9:30 amCrime & Justice, KERA, Partner Organizations, Texas Newsroom

Credit Allison V. Smith For KERA

"Our daughter was just 3, so she really didn't understand that her dad was not coming home," Kim said. She and Ed today share a home in Cedar Hill, Texas.

From KERA:

Two decades in prison is a long time to go without a paycheck. For parents, that’s also 20 years of missed childhood moments. Edward Ates feels the full weight of those losses, especially since he’s maintained his innocence since day one.

Those years behind bars stole his life as a family man, and they wrecked his finances.

Now, his lawyers are fighting to get him exonerated. If they succeed, Ed’s economic worries, at least, will be behind him.

Read more.

KERA’s One Crisis Away series, The Price of Prison, examines how time behind bars erodes wealth — for offenders, for families and for generations. Hear, read and view the entire series