George

Last week in my Victimology class, we discussed an interesting news article from MSNBC. Texas has increased the amount of reparations paid to prisoners who are proven innocent. Starting last week, exonerated prisoners will be paid $80,000 for every year they were imprisoned. In addition to this payment, given as a lump sum, they will also receive monthly checks of $4,000 for the rest of their lives.

My teacher brought this article up to show the class how broad and subjective the term “victim” can be. The teacher posed this question: Are these ex-cons considered victims? The class gave an immediate and resounding answer –  no. The class seemed to have very little sympathy for these prisoners-turned-millionaires. Concerns were raised about where this money was coming from, how the amounts were determined, and if there will be any oversight on how the money is spent.

But the biggest issue in my class was whether or not the ex-prisoners even deserved the money in the first place. Many seemed to think that an apology from the state and an immediate freeing from prison would be sufficient. They agreed that what had happened was regrettable, but accidents will happen and they see this program to be a sort of reward for those who did nothing to earn it. The class agreed almost unanimously that these men and women were not considered true victims.

After hearing their opinions, I was surprised to the point of being speechless. I strongly believe that those exonerated prisoners are victims, and they deserve their reparations from the state for their wrongful imprisonment.

This issue cuts deep into the core of people’s views on corrections and how prisons should be run within America.  The fact that we have anyone in prison that should not be is problem number one. Worrying about how much to pay them would come after the fact.

Our corrections system is built around the idea of justice; innocent until proven guilty with the opportunity for redemption and a second chance. When we wrongfully imprison someone, whatever the reason, we are breaking that golden rule. This is not justice.

I can still recall the first thing I learned in criminology class: it is better to let 10 guilty men go free than let one innocent man get punished. 10, 20, 200, it does not matter the number: the focus is on that one innocent person was stripped of their rights for something they never did.

The article talked about men who had served in prison for over 30 years finally gaining the freedom they deserve. That is longer than I have even been alive. Think about how much the world has changed in those three decades. And now we expect those men to easily fall back into a regular life, as if nothing ever happened?

This money will aid them get a solid footing in the real world, ensuring they can rise above poverty and stay out of prison again. Just because they were innocent does not change their odds of returning to prison at some point in their lives. Research states that more than 40 percent of released convicts, innocent or not, will return to prison. In essence, we would be turning innocent men into actual criminals at that point. This money is more than just an apology – it is an investment in society.

These men are being offered a helping hand to organize their lives and start a positive path for them and their family.

Let us continue the debate on the smaller details, like how much money to pay them, how it is administered, etc, etc. But there should be little discourse over the fact that exonerated prisoners not only deserve but need this money to return to a normal life.

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