Chicago officials say taxpayers shouldn't bear wrongful convictions payouts
CHICAGO (CBS) – A coalition of faith leaders and elected officials gathered on Sunday to discuss wrongful conviction settlements, an issue that's cost the city hundreds of millions of dollars over the years.
The group gathered on Sunday said the city has spent roughly $750 million on settlements since 2000, and despite the cases where individuals were issued certificates of innocence, the city continues to spend millions on private law firms to fend off legal battles.
With a success rate of just 20%, the payments have been devastating blows to taxpayers who are footing the bill.
Ald. Gil Villegas (36th) spoke about the resolution he recently introduced that would take the burden off of taxpayers by setting up a so-called justice fund.
"We have people that have been incarcerated for 10, 20, 30 years," said Villegas. "And they're screaming out saying, 'I'm innocent!' and then finally they get that certificate of innocence and they've been validated. But the city is continuing to fight these cases."
Dr. Wallace Bradley, of United in Peace, said the payments equal "a lot of money that could be going to better causes."
The alderman said the issue of wrongful conviction settlements won't be going away anytime soon as there are about 200 cases that are yet to be decided in court.