Quote Originally Posted by smoknlegend View Post
but if they were wrongfully accused, and were stuck in prison, how do you expect them to sustain themselves when they get out? If they have no money to start anywhere, they are essentially homeless, so technically the government would be exempting taxes on nothing.
He wasnt wrongfully accused or even wrongfully convicted based on the article. Yes, he turned out to be innocent but that doesnt mean anyone did anything wrong. His conviction was overturned based on technology that didnt exist when he was convicted. I guess the real question is where does it end. Do these people have the right to refuse the payment and try to take the state or city to court? Can they take the money then try to go to court for more?

While I am torn on a cash payment, I do agree 100% with the lifetime annuity. If they served long enough maybe pay them top state worker pay grade retirement tax free for the rest of their life.


These payouts dont put a lot of strain on any system. In the scheme of things 2.4mil isnt a whole lot of money and this is an extreme case. I would imagine the average payout is much less.