Overview

• The Ministry of Justice has increased maximum awards by 30%, lifting the cap to £1.3 million for wrongful sentences over 10 years and to £650,000 for shorter terms
• This is the first adjustment since 2008, when compensation limits of £1 million and £500,000 were introduced, and inflation has since halved the real-term value of awards
• Exonerees such as Andrew Malkinson, who spent 17 years behind bars, and Peter Sullivan, jailed for 38 years, stand to benefit under the new limits
• Lawyers and charities argue the uplift is insufficient and are calling for arbitrary caps to be removed and for future payouts to be automatically uprated by RPI inflation
• Applicants must claim within two years of having their conviction quashed and final payments are determined by independent assessors