Do We Owe Exonerated Inmates Anything?
And, if so, how much? STEVE CHAPMAN of the Chicago Tribune asks the question. “The 5th Amendment to the Constitution says the government may not take your property without paying just compensation,” writes Chapman. “But if you're entitled to fair market value for being deprived of your house, shouldn't losing a large share of your time on Earth be worth more than $6,000 per year?” That’s how much Illinois pays, while other states like Utah, Vermont and California, pay more, and still others pay zip. By the way, according to the Death Penalty Information Center, 123 inmates have been removed from Death Row in the past 36 years. Many more have been exonerated of lesser felonies, usually through DNA analysis.