MRWEBBS ONLINE: Man Wrongly Imprisoned For 31 Years Gets Offered A Insane Amount Of Compensation

The amount this man received is completely and totally insulting. How is this acceptable?

Lawrence McKinney was convicted of burglary and rape in 1978.

A neighbor was raped by two intruders. She testified that McKinney was one of the men who raped her. He received 115 years in prison for the conviction.

In 2008, DNA tests proved that he was wrongfully convicted.

The Innocent Project obtained evidence that he could not have been one of the rapists. He was released from prison in 2009.

Naturally, the state of Tennessee owes him money for all the years he lost in jail.

For 31 years, he rotted away in prison as an innocent man. That's a stain on the entire justice system. He deserves fair compensation for his lost years.

For his time in jail, McKinney received $75.

The state cut him a check. Because he had no identification, it actually took him three months to obtain that pittance.

He is also appealing for a formal exoneration, which was rejected by the Board of Parole of Tennessee.

Amazingly, they unanimously voted 7-0 that there was no convincing evidence that McKinney was innocent, despite the DNA evidence proving he was not one of the attackers. The odds of this DNA test being wrong are about 1 in 1000000000.

For his part, McKinney is not bitter about his time spent in jail.

He is looking to move forward with his life. He had met a woman and gotten married. He just wants money to start a life. Being in jail since he was 22, he has no education, training, or any real ability to support himself.

The state should compensate this innocent man fairly, not with the insulting $75.

It's outrageous that the state would not help this innocent man get back on his feet. As a society, we should feel obligated to help the wrongfully convicted.