An Act relative to safety and justice

This bill (HD 2482) creates a compensation system for individuals wrongfully convicted of felonies in Massachusetts. It directly affects people who were convicted based on errors but later exonerated, establishing new standards for financial awards and record expungement. Key provisions include lowering the proof standard from "clear and convincing" to "preponderance of the evidence" for claims, setting specific monetary limits based on incarceration length (e.g., up to $1 million for 10 years), and requiring courts to order record expungement after compensation. The bill also adds penalties for tampering with GPS devices used in pretrial release and modifies procedures for social service referrals to support exonerees.