Last month, through the use of DNA evidence, the 200th person in the US was exonerated of a crime for which he was convicted and imprisoned. Of the 200 men who have been exonerated, about 45 percent have received some sort of compensation, ranging from $25,000 to $12.2 million.
The compensation laws for those who have been wrongfully imprisoned in the US vary greatly from state to state. Some states have introduced legislation to compensate wrongly convicted individuals on a case-by-case basis, while other states have sought to establish standardized compensations. Some states offer nothing more than an apology – if that.
What do states owe those who have served time for a crime they didn't commit? And what factors should influence the compensation offered those who are exonerated?
Let us know what you think.
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"If society is willing to jail an innocent person, then society should also be willing to compensate that person when a mistake is recognized."
Jeb Burgess, Seattle, Wash., USA
"... those that are guilty [should] serve the rest of the sentence of the individual who was wrongfully imprisoned, without the benefits of parole. Let that hang over their heads the next time the gavel strikes."
Bertrand Kotewall, Lawrence, Kansas, USA
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(Updated at 6:15 p.m. 06/05/07)
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"Money is just an easy way to wash ourselves of the guilt of imprisoning the wrong person."
James London, San Jose, Calif., USA
"Prosecutors are much more concerned about their conviction percentage that they are about guilt or innocence."
Cecil Sayer, Glendale, Ariz., USA
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May 30, 2007
This month, two men – both freed last year after DNA evidence exonerated them of the crimes for which they'd been in prison – received drastically different news about how they might be compensated for those lost years.
Connecticut legislators voted to award $5 million to James Tillman to help him get his life back on track after 18 years behind bars for a rape he didn't commit.
The Florida Legislature, on the other hand, denied Alan Crotzer's request for $1.25 million and let a bill die that would have standardized a compensation system for victims of wrongful conviction. [ Read more ]
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PREVIOUS DISCUSSION
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American immigration law has long put a premium on uniting immediate families. The proposed bill, which is built around a point system, would put a higher premium on immigrants admitted due to their education, earnings level, or job skills, than on family ties.
Do you see the proposed immigration bill as a move in the right direction?
Let us know what you think.
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"Sounds to me like [President Bush is] saying: we can't stop them from coming over, so lets try and control them."
Rocky Wallace, San Antonio, Tex., USA
"I think it would be better to simply rein in the definition of 'family' to include only one's own spouse and children, and NOT one's siblings, their spouses, one's parents and in-laws, cousins, ad nauseum."
Jean Hess, Knoxville, Tenn., USA
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Trent Lott doesn't usually answer his Senate phone himself, but when angry callers are burning up the lines – as they are over this week's debate about revising America's immigration laws – the Republicans' No. 2 Senate leader has picked up to hear what they've got to say.
One of the most contentious issues in the immigration bill now being debated in the Senate may boil down to this: family ties versus economic promise.
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ARCHIVE DISCUSSIONS
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The former New York City mayor has been slipping in the polls as social issues – not security concerns – have dominated.
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The national average is close to $3.05 a gallon – up almost 20 cents in the past two weeks.
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Video clips, passed around the Web, could amplify the impact on the candidates.
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Congress is eyeing three strategies after an all-but-certain White House veto of the Iraq war bill.
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Professors grapple with what to teach as the campus resumes classes Monday.
The Monitor's View
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Study: 1 in 2 Americans now receives income from government programs.
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Climate change is already being blamed for altered rainfall patterns and shrinking glaciers that provide water for drinking and agriculture. Part 1 of an occasional series.
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The court's 5-to-4 ruling rejects the White House's view and hands environmentalists a major victory.
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Some say US citizens need a war tax or a call to national service.
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Criminal arrests, often of executives, quadrupled in a year. Is it a tactic to pass guest-worker program?
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Service vacations are not just for college students, and not just for one week in March.
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Some call it a carbon-free alternative to fossil fuels, but others point to significant environmental costs.
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Many say education, not more regulation, is the right approach to finding common ground among Hollywood, politicians, and parents.
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Candidates' race, gender, age, and religion are among the factors that could shape the election.
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A probable move to curb funding for a 'surge' may put Democrats at odds with one another.
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A long-awaited UN-sponsored report hints at the need for a worldwide effort to control the environment.
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