Is $100 per day enough compensation for wrongful imprisonment?

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A San Diego man was imprisoned for 21 years for a crime he did not commit. The state of California is now paying him $756,900, or $100 per day he was imprisoned. Is this enough compensation?

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/metro/20060324-9999-7m24marsh.html

[Goblinmonger]

1. Not even close

The shit he must have lived through. Hell no.

[pointblank]

2. HELL NO!!!

Make that muthafucker a millionaire at least...sheesh :rofl:

BTW, for the record the word "Muthafucker/Muthafuckin" is now a staple of my vocabulary and is not derogatory in any fashion.

[xmas74]

3. 21 years of imprisoment?

$100 a day is nowhere near enough.

They took 21 years of his life and he gets $100 a day? That's an insult.

[merh]

4. There is no just compensation for false imprisonment.

I think that is what the anti-litigation brigade fail to realize, for all of the "bad lawsuits" there are hundreds, if not thousands, of lawsuits that are legitimate and there is no money that can be paid for the injuries in most cases.

What is the loss of 21 years worth?
What is the value of a life?
What is the value of a limb?

[AllegroRondo]

5. Let me put it this way...

would you agree to be imprisoned for the next 21 years for $756,900 ???

[merh]

9. Good point!

I wonder if his lawyers thought of phrasing it that way.

[AllegroRondo]

10. One of my law professors did that.

(I only took 2 business law classes)

We were discussing civil damage cases, and one case in particular where someone's son was killed. They were seeking $3 Million in damages. Someone in class said "isnt that excessive?" The professor reversed it, asking "would you give up your son for $3 Million?"

A very effective tactic with a jury. I hope this man's lawyer did the same.

[ET Awful]

6. That's not even enough to cover lost income.

So no, that's not enough.

[Laelth]

7. I say no way.

-Laelth

[ThomCat]

8. No. That's insulting. Especially if he then has to

pay taxes on that money and gets even less.

What was his earning potential if he had been free for 21 years? Start with that. Then add in that much more for pain and suffering.

[Deja Q]

11. $12.5/hr isn't even a living wage.

$20/hr seems fair.

[DainBramaged]

12. well, if you base his day on minimum wage (as they probably did)

yes, and you can always make more money, but time is gone. They can never give him back his life.

[Rabrrrrrr]

13. But if you think about, it's likely a lot more than he would have saved up

had he been working those years.

Of course, it's a bullshit lowball amount for something as heinous as 21 years false imprisonment, but on the other hand, it's about enough to retire on, and might be far more than he would have saved, or been able to save, has he been working all those years.

[MissB]

15. I'm still not thinking it is a good tradeoff.

:rofl:

[Rabrrrrrr]

16. No, it really isn't.

I can't imagine that there is any good tradeoff for the loss of that many years.

We really, as a society, fucked the life of one of our own on that one.

21 years is a hella long time.

[oscar111]

14. He should be "coddled" the rest of his life

ie, he should be given a guaranteed job at good pay, a house in the country, then a retirement at the level of pay of his old job.