BELL COUNTY, TX — All eyes were on Central Texas when George Powell, a Killeen rapper who spent the past decade behind bars, was granted a new trial. But to tackle a case like this, it costs hundreds of thousands of dollars.
“The system is set up where it is a whole lot easier to convict an innocent person than to exonerate an innocent person,” said Attorney Mike Ware, Executive Director of the Innocence Project of Texas and one of the lawyers representing Powell.
Ware says that post-conviction actions, known as a writ of habeas corpus, can cost on average anywhere from $250,000 to $300,000.
“There’s money for highly specialized experts. Most of the lawyers donate their time for free, but it’s not fair to ask professional experts and investigators to do the same,” said Ware.
Expenses can add up quickly.
“There’s generally a lot of travel expenses involved both in investigating and litigating the case. The George Powell case, I don’t know how many miles I put on my vehicle,” said Ware.
The Innocence Project of Texas told 25 News that they rely on grants and donations to keep their organization afloat.
“Because the system is so hard to exonerate an innocent person, it does take a whole lot of time and money and unless an attorney has substantial resources and support behind him or her it’s not something that a volunteer attorney should take on,” said Ware.
On the other side of the courtroom, the prosecution also spends a pretty penny to uphold a conviction. 25 News reached out to the Bell County District Attorney's Office for comment. They have not yet responded.
