A man by the name of Thomas Webb III, was wrongfully accused of raping a woman at the University of Oklahoma in the year of 1983. Finally, after serving 13 years in prison, new DNA evidence pointed to a new suspect. Showing everyone that the suspect had wrongly identified Thomas. After battling the state of Oklahoma for 21 years, Thomas was approved to receive a compensation check of $175,000 dollars. This check is designed to make up for all the lost paychecks one loses while serving time in prison. The amount a person is allowed to receive differs from state to state.
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1. If you were wrongly convicted, and then released, what would you do with the all the money you just received?
2. Do you think $175,000 dollars is an equal compensation for serving 13 years in prison? why or why not?
My opinion: Depending on my financial situation, I would probably buy a cheap, starter house and a cheap car to get me from point a, to point b. I would put the rest of the money in the bank. I do not think $175,000 is a fair payment. If you added up all the checks a person could receive during a 13 year period it would be a lot more than $175,000 dollars.
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I would try to build my life back together and be a living prove that not everything is true. Some parts of the law are corrupt and don't always workout the way they should. At least he got to live to see himself get freed. I know that $175,000 dollars is the calculated amount, but nothing can pay back lost time. He lost 13 years of his life for something that he didn't even do.
Building your life back together would be smart. I agree Fidel, the government isn't always the best for making decisions, and in this case, its the compensation money. Serving 13 years in prison and then receiving that little of an amount of money would tick me off.
1) I would save it to get a new house or car or even put it towards retirement. 2) No, I think he should have received much more, he lost 13 years of his life, they should pay for it.
I would probably pay off any debts I had and then save the rest for the future. I would want to make sure I am financially stable for whatever there is to come in the future. I think it is an equal compensation. I am sure they found out how much money he would have been making from his job over the past 13 years so it would be just as much money as he would have if he were not in prison.
That would be a good idea, I never thought of that. It is a good idea, Kara, that way you start off on the right foot with everyone when you get out. I disagree with the money value though, I think he should have received more.
I would save and invest the money so I could continue to get back on my feet. I feel as if no amount of money is worth the time of someone being in prison because it is such a horrible place. I think it should be based on personal experiences because some people will never forget some of the things that happened while others may have no had that bad of a time.
I would try to save the money. If everything was gone though, I would begin a fresh start. No, I do not think it was enough money because he probably lost a lot in those 13 years.
I would save it right away so I know that I would have enough to pay bills for a while before I can find a new job. I don't think that there really is any amount of money that can make up for being wrongfully convicted and having to serve 13 years of jail time. I think maybe something other than money that is beneficial would be better for Thomas Webb III.
Saving all of the money right off the bat isn't such a bad idea in my opinion. Like you said, that way you can pay off bills for a while until you find a job. Now I agree he didn't receive enough money, I think there is a large enough amount.
If I lost everything, then I would probably have to start completely over and buy a house and necessities. I think $175,000 is not a fair compensation because he will never get back those thirteen years he had to be in prison, which is worth more than $175,000.
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