Cathy Woods spent over 30 years in prison for a crime she did not commit. Her conviction was the result of coerced confessions while under psychiatric care, and Cathy was denied her life for decades (Innocence Project, n.d.-a). In 2015, DNA evidence established her innocence, and she was exonerated. After years of legal fights and navigating the complexity of state law, Woods obtained about $10 million in settlements and reparations, one of the highest rewards ever given to a female exoneree in the United States (Innocence Project, n.d.-a). While significant, no dollar amount can compensate for the decades of her life that were taken (National Registry of Exonerations, 2023).
In sharp contrast, Sandra Hemme served 43 years in prison before being released in 2024. Despite serving one of the longest wrongful imprisonments in US history, she received no financial compensation upon her release because Missouri law does not provide reparations for exonerees whose cases did not involve DNA evidence (Innocence Project, n.d.-b; National Registry of Exonerations, 2023). The disparity between Woods and Hemme highlights the differential state-by-state distribution of post-release pay.
Some wrongfully convicted people can receive significant reparations if they live in states with favorable laws or have access to legal resources, while others are left with nothing, forced to rebuild their lives without financial support after decades of injustice (National Registry of Exonerations, 2023). These women's experiences demonstrate that unjust convictions are more than individual tragedies; they are systemic failures. Federal compensation criteria would ensure that all exonerees, regardless of state or type of evidence, have the resources they need to rebuild their lives and pursue justice (National Registry of Exonerations, 2023).
Please read more about their stories by visiting their reference links below and share this petition so that we can make this mandate a reality: change.org/comptheinnocent
References
Innocence Project. (n.d.-a). Cathy Woods. Innocence Project. Retrieved September 4, 2025, from https://innocenceproject.org/cases/cathy-woods/
Innocence Project. (n.d.-b). Sandra Hemme. Innocence Project. Retrieved September 4, 2025, from https://innocenceproject.org/cases/sandra-hemme/
National Registry of Exonerations. (2023). 2023 Annual Report. National Registry of Exonerations. Retrieved September 4, 2025, from https://exonerationregistry.org/sites/exonerationregistry.org/files/documents/2023%20Annual%20Report.pdf
Image
St. Louis Circuit Attorney's Office, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0> via Wikimedia Commons
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