In yet another stunning example of our country’s justice system, Alan Northrop is seeking compensation after spending 17 long years in prison for a crime he did not commit.
Alan Northrop (Credit: Q13 Fox)
After being convicted for the rape of a Clark County woman in 1993, Northrop racked up thousands of dollars of back pay owed for child support—a debt he feels, should be payed by the state. Northrop and co-defendant Larry Davis were both cleared of all charges in July 2010 thanks to new DNA evidence.
As Northrop shares, it’s more than money he lost from the nearly two decades in jail he spent as an innocent man.
“I didn’t get to watch my kids grow up, I wasn’t involved with their everyday life, you never get that back,” said Northrop.
Northrop, who was once a successful logger and excavator, was sent back out in the world with nothing. He reportedly owed 17 years worth of child support, which amounted to tens of thousands of dollars.
“I picked him up from the jail at square one, and all my brother had was a box of stuff,” said Patrick Northrop.
“He was a victim of crime he didn’t commit, and what did he get in return? A big box of stuff and a child support bill.”
According to reports, a house bill has been introduced that is suppose to help men like Northrop. If passed, the bill would pay wrongfully convicted inmates $50,000 for each year they served in prison, and an additional $50,000 for each year spent on death row.
This is the third time the bill has hit a vote in the state of Washington. Other times the bill was shot down because of “budget limitations.” Amazingly, compensating innocent men and women who spend time in jail had no place in the “budget,” while there’s plenty of funding available to make life for comfortable for shellfish and other marine life.
While making the state compensate men like Northrop would be a start, what the bill did not address was the justice system that put him there in the first place. It would be safe to assume that if wrongful convictions were not so common, or if prosecutors were punished for unethical practices, funding victims of the justice system would be much less of an issue.
(H/T: Q13 Fox)
I am really conflicted on this law. The tax payers footing the bill for someone wrongfully convicted based on false testimony of an individual. Rubs me wrong cuz it is no fault of government., but it is the fault of a false accuser and tax payers shouldn’t be responsible. However, I can’t imagine being in the shoes of someone being falsely accused. Very torn.
Good morning Dexter,
It is good to see your do not like false testimony and I have a couple of questions for you. As I gather up facts it is difficult at times to know what is important to others and your thoughts would be very helpful. What would it take to convince you that it is the fault of the Enumclaw Police Department and the Attorney General’s Office? What proof would you like to see? As you can well imagine, suppose at work they told you that you could lie and there would be no punishment for you – whose fault then would it be that everything is out of control? That said, I fully agree with you that the person who lied is still guilty, but when an environment promotes that one should lie to get what they want it is difficult to see who is fully to blame.
Sincerely,
T. Williams
this Man WHO was convicted of this hideous crime is actually my father. Its a shame I never got to know my father cause the justice system put an innocent man behind bars! He is owed much more then anyone can give. He deserves to be compinsated for being locked up behind bars for a chrime he didnt commit. You cant give back 17 yrs
I believe the prosecuter and anyone else that was involved that knowingly sent this man to prison should be incarcerated for twice the ammount of time this man or men served and be in general population for that sentence, Also their property and bank accounts should be siezed and distributed equally between the unjustly convicted and their family’s. When you falsely imprison someone and kidnap them { If this was done with malice and knowledge that the accused was innocent } just to close a case or for other unknown reasons you have violated your oath of conduct and violated the rights of not only the accused but those of his or her’s family’s and society in general. So as you all like to say, If you can’t do the time don’t do the crime, And this was a crime against these men and their family’s !!
The reason there is so much corruption in the Prosecutor’s Office is because they have made themselves immune from such crimes. Just imagine at your place of work everyone was told they would not be punished for lying, bullying, exaggerating and setting others up-the results would be exactly lying, bullying, exaggerating and setting others up.