The Price of Innocence
January 27, 2011
The Austin Chronicle - According to the House draft budget, the schools – University of Texas, Texas Tech, Texas Southern, and the University of Houston – would retain the annual allocation of $400,000 total that they now receive in order to research, investigate, and raise claims of innocence for Texas inmates.
While budget cuts seem to be the order of the year, it looks – at least for now – that the state's four public law schools will retain their very modest funding to run a clinical innocence program. According to the House draft budget, the schools – University of Texas, Texas Tech, Texas Southern, and the University of Houston – would retain the annual allocation of $400,000 total that they now receive in order to research, investigate, and raise claims of innocence for Texas inmates, including those like Claude Simmons, who was convicted of capital murder and exonerated with the help of UT Law students. .