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It appears from the article that if you're wrongfully jailed in the US, you're not automatically entitled to compensation for lost income and other expenses cau

by m_eiman 11y ago

It appears from the article that if you're wrongfully jailed in the US, you're not automatically entitled to compensation for lost income and other expenses caused by the jail time. Surely this must be incorrect?

mirimir 11y ago
Nope, that's just how it is.
- m_eiman 11y ago
  That's… crazy. In Sweden you're entitled to compensation for: * suffering (starting by default at $3700 for the first month, down to half per month after six months) * loss of income (including sick pay, unemployment pay, etc) * expenses (rent not compensated) Source in Swedish: http://www.jk.se/ansokan/frihetsberovande/ http://www.jk.se/ansokan/frihetsberovande/ In some extreme cases people who have been wrongfully convicted of e.g. murder and served many years in jail have received up to about two million USD.
- anexprogrammer 11y ago
  So someone's life gets ruined, job and home lost, spends time in prison due to a mistake or worse, and gets no comeback at all? How is that not a major issue for a media campaign or politicians of one flavour or another?
  - thirdsun 11y ago
    Particularly surprising since the US is such a lawsuit-happy country where it seems you can expect some form of compensation even for borderline ridiculous issues. Coffee too hot? Jackpot! Life severely ruined by being wrongfully convicted? Well, sorry about that.
    - talmand 11y ago
      I believe there is some sort of automatic compensation for being wrongfully convicted in many areas, depending on the court that did the conviction. Being wrongfully jailed before conviction is a different matter.
      - mirimir 11y ago
        It's rather like part of your civic responsibilities as a citizen. Like jury duty.
    - TheCoelacanth 11y ago
      > Coffee too hot? Jackpot. That is a bad example of a frivolous lawsuit. The coffee in question was served much hotter than industry standard and they had been repeatedly warned that their coffee was dangerously hot. If you spill coffee on yourself, you expect to get burned. You don't expect it to instantly melt your flesh. They were very rightly held responsible for the extra damage that they caused by serving their coffee at a dangerously high temperature.

by m_eiman 11y ago

mirimir 11y ago

Nope, that's just how it is.

m_eiman 11y ago
That's… crazy. In Sweden you're entitled to compensation for: * suffering (starting by default at $3700 for the first month, down to half per month after six months) * loss of income (including sick pay, unemployment pay, etc) * expenses (rent not compensated) Source in Swedish: http://www.jk.se/ansokan/frihetsberovande/ http://www.jk.se/ansokan/frihetsberovande/ In some extreme cases people who have been wrongfully convicted of e.g. murder and served many years in jail have received up to about two million USD.
anexprogrammer 11y ago
So someone's life gets ruined, job and home lost, spends time in prison due to a mistake or worse, and gets no comeback at all? How is that not a major issue for a media campaign or politicians of one flavour or another?
- thirdsun 11y ago
  Particularly surprising since the US is such a lawsuit-happy country where it seems you can expect some form of compensation even for borderline ridiculous issues. Coffee too hot? Jackpot! Life severely ruined by being wrongfully convicted? Well, sorry about that.
  - talmand 11y ago
    I believe there is some sort of automatic compensation for being wrongfully convicted in many areas, depending on the court that did the conviction. Being wrongfully jailed before conviction is a different matter.
    - mirimir 11y ago
      It's rather like part of your civic responsibilities as a citizen. Like jury duty.
  - TheCoelacanth 11y ago
    > Coffee too hot? Jackpot. That is a bad example of a frivolous lawsuit. The coffee in question was served much hotter than industry standard and they had been repeatedly warned that their coffee was dangerously hot. If you spill coffee on yourself, you expect to get burned. You don't expect it to instantly melt your flesh. They were very rightly held responsible for the extra damage that they caused by serving their coffee at a dangerously high temperature.