NEW YORK, April 28 (UPI) -- People wrongfully convicted of crimes often spend years waiting for their guilty verdicts to be officially removed, says a U.S. watchdog group.
The Innocence Project, which has its headquarters in New York, says the slow pace of bureaucracy or a lack of procedures may be responsible for the long waits, The Washington Post reported Monday.
The newspaper says a Chicago woman whose murder conviction was overturned by the Illinois Supreme Court has been waiting since 2002 for a pardon from Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich. Tabitha Pollock still has a felony record that prevents her from collecting damages from the state or becoming a teacher, the Post said.
In Illinois, to regain a certifiably clean record and collect compensation, an exonerated inmate must obtain a "pardon based on innocence" from the governor.
When authorities don't certify innocence "in effect, the sentence goes on," Stephen Saloom of the Innocence Project told the Post.
