Factual innocence.

Existing law authorizes a person who has been convicted and incarcerated for a felony and later pardoned on the basis of innocence or found to be factually innocent of that crime, as specified, to present a claim against the state to the California Victim Compensation Board for the pecuniary injury sustained by the person through the erroneous conviction and incarceration. Existing law requires the board to recommend to the Legislature that an appropriation be made and the claim paid if a court has made a finding that the person is factually innocent or if the person proves to the board that they are factually innocent. Existing law specifies that there is no presumption in any other proceeding for failure to make a motion or obtain a favorable ruling pursuant to these provisions. Existing law establishes the process and timeframes for the Attorney General to respond to a claim and for the board to set a hearing and make a recommendation on the claim. Under existing law, the person is considered factually innocent if the crime with which they were charged was either not committed at all, or if committed, was not committed by that person. This bill would revise and recast these provisions to instead require the board, upon application by a person whose writ of habeas corpus was granted in state or federal court, or whose motion to vacate the charges was granted by a state court and the charges were dismissed, or if the person was acquitted of the charges on retrial, to recommend to the Legislature that an appropriation be made without a hearing, unless the Attorney General establishes that the claimant is not entitled to compensation. The bill would require the Attorney General, for claims brought under specified provisions, to establish by clear and convincing evidence that the claimant committed the acts constituting the offense in order to establish that the claimant is not entitled to compensation. The bill would prohibit the Attorney General, from relying solely on the trial record of a conviction that has been reversed or dismissed to establish that the claimant is not entitled to compensation. This bill would specify that no res judicata or collateral estoppel finding can be made in any other proceeding for failure to make a motion or obtain a favorable ruling under these provisions.