Miscarriage of justice victims to stop losing money for rent savings during imprisonment
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Naomi Long
Victims of miscarriages of justice in Northern Ireland will no longer lose part of their compensation payments to account for money saved on rent and mortgage payments during their imprisonment.
The so-called “saved living expenses” deduction has been scrapped, bringing Northern Ireland into line with the other UK jurisdictions.
The maximum amount of compensation payable under the miscarriage of justice system remains £1 million for 10 or more years imprisonment or £500,000 for up to 10 years.
Justice minister Naomi Long said: “I have updated the guidance governing the award of compensation for miscarriages of justice with immediate effect, to ensure that deductions for saved living expenses are removed from the assessment of compensation.
“This amendment will apply to new applications only and will bring Northern Ireland into line with the rest of the United Kingdom.”
The miscarriage of justice compensation scheme is one route in which an individual can receive compensation for a wrongful conviction, with other options including suing public bodies.
Once eligible, the level of compensation is decided by an independent assessor.
An award of compensation will normally fall into two parts: compensation for the impact of the wrongful conviction on an individual, including damage to their reputation or to their physical or mental health, loss of freedom and inconvenience; and loss of past or future earnings, expenses or legal costs resulting from their time in custody.
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