Montana Innocence Project

Lawmakers are expected to make a decision soon about whether to propose changes to Montana’s compensation for those exonerated of a crime.

A jury in Missoula this week ruled a man failed to prove his innocence — and rejected his request for $750,000 — in what will be the only test of a 2021 state law that gave an opportunity for wrongfully convicted Montanans to seek compensation.

In the United States, it’s estimated that between 1 and 6 percent of people serving time in prison are innocent. The Montana Innocence Project provides free legal representation to Montanans who have been wrongly convicted. Since 2008 they’ve helped free 10 people. MTPR’s Maxine Speier spoke with Amy Sings In The Timber, the executive director of the Montana Innocence Project.