Former Bartlett Park Resident Alan Crotzer Denied Compensation

Alan Crotzer was sent to prison for a crime that he did not commit. The system failed him and also failed to convict the person who was guilty of this brutal crime of rape. Thanks to volunteer lawyers from the ACLU and other groups many innocent victims are getting a second chance to prove their innocence. Through DNA testing he has proven his conviction was wrong and he is now a free man. But what of all the years he has lost? Many good people have helped him get back on his feet with a job, a car and an apartment. But he lost 24 years. The state is spending $70 billion. Money was found for tax breaks for Hollywood movie producers, sports team owners and many other special interests, but not to correct this injustice.

Today the Saint Petersburg Times on line edition reports that Alan Crotzer will not be compensated for what he lost:

Senate leaders made it clear Tuesday that they will not compensate Alan Crotzer, the 46-year-old St. Petersburg man who spent 24 years in prison for rape before DNA testing exonerated him. For eight weeks, Crotzer's pro-bono advocates have worked to attain justice, only to fall short.
The House Monday attached the $1.25-million Crotzer compensation to a must-pass bill that pays $4.8-million to the family of Martin Lee Anderson, for the boy's death in a state boot camp. But when that bill reaches the Senate floor, the Crotzer provision will be taken out, said Senate President Ken Pruitt, R-Port St. Lucie.

First posted in 2007

Update: More in today's Times and TroxBlog. More from the Innocence Project.