> Former Connecticut inmate Fred Hodges, who served more than 17 years in prison for killing a man while trying to retrieve his son’s stolen bicycle, came into

> Former Connecticut inmate Fred Hodges, who served more than 17 years in prison for killing a man while trying to retrieve his son’s stolen bicycle, came into $21,000 after his car was totaled in a 2009 traffic accident. The state claimed half of that, he said. After paying his lawyer, he was left with about $3,000. That's not coming into money. His $21k was compensation for the vehicle he no longer has. He was more liquid for some time but not in any way richer. It's grossly unfair for the state to interpret that money as something they could go after, even if such pay-to-stay laws were fair (which I don't think they are). What replacement vehicle is he going to get with $3k now?