what happens if someone goes to jail when they arent guilty?

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dmitridima

New member
so heres an example. say there was someone that did not commit a crime but was somehow proven guilty and he was sentenced to 20 years in prison. 6 years into the sentence it was discovered that he was innocent after all. what happens to the guy? does he get some kind of cash settlement for the 6 years of his life wasted? or is he just released with a simple apology?
 
They can never get those years back and the system will never admit a mistake. If it were me, I'd work the rest of my life to see that those responsible, live their entire life looking over their shoulder because I will take them out slowly and brutally so they may suffer as much as I did. Then send the video of them dying to their families.
 
no two case's are ever the same when it comes to this type of thing and it happens all the time, some people get millions and an apology and some get nothing...
 
I would suspect it's his own attorney who goes after the system to pay him some money as a cash settlement as I've seen on tv in our state that that does occur sometimes, and the guy does get a settlement.

If he got into jail and he wasn't guilty it's probably because he had an attorney appointed for him because he had no attorney of his own. An attorney is required to represent him so the judge then appoints one for him. See the attorneys that are appointed are short on time and there are only a few of them so they can't spend a lot of time on the case searching out the details and sending summonses to people, etc. so some people get time when they shouldn't.
 
Most states have laws covering just such an event. Some have that the person is entitled to X amount of dollars for each year he/she was wrongfully incarcerated. States enacted these compensation laws for the wrongly convicted to stave off lawsuits resulting from a wrongful conviction - states were losing millions upon millions of dollars to wrongly convicted people who sued over it.

It depends on the state, but regardless, the wrongfully convicted person can file a civil suit against the state for compensation.
 
What you described has happened and is happening. Depending upon the crime for which he was found guilty, he may or may not receive compensation. From what I have observed, the person is so relieved to be found innocent and set free, most do not seek compensation, but do receive an apology. The police were just doing their job (the arrest), but it was a judge/ jury who decided he was guilty and received a sentence. It may not seem fair, but it happens.
 
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