An African American man who spent nearly 40 years behind bars in the US state of Ohio for a murder he did not commit will receive $1 million from the state for his wrongful imprisonment.
On Thursday, an Ohio Court of Claims judge ordered that just more than $1 million be paid to Ricky Jackson.
Jackson said he learnt about the payment from a reporter who had called him on Thursday afternoon to get his reaction over the court order.
“Wow, I didn’t know that,” Jackson said. “Wow wow wow, that’s fantastic, man. I don’t even know what to say. This is going to mean so much.”
Michele Berry, his attorney from the Innocence Project, said a financial advisor will help Jackson to handle the money in the wisest way.
After hearing the news of the court order, Berry became emotional and expressed her appreciation for all that the innocent black man went through.
“It’s been an honor to work for and with Ricky,” she said. “He’s probably the wisest person I’ve ever met.”
In November, Jackson, 57, and Wiley Bridgeman, 60, were both exonerated in a 1975 murder after a key witness against them, who was 13 years old at the time, admitted in 2013 that he lied during his testimony.
Eddie Vernon, now 53, told a minister who visited him at a hospital in 2013 that he had never actually witnessed the crime. He said Cleveland police detectives coerced him into testifying that the men killed businessman Harry Franks on May 19, 1975.
The Ohio Innocence Project, which took up their case, said Jackson and Bridgeman’s 39 years imprisonment mark them as the longest-serving exonerees in US history.
According to a study released in April, one in every 25 death row inmates in the United States is innocent. Approximately 3,000 US prisoners are waiting to be put to death.
African Americans are also far more likely to be arrested and imprisoned by police than any other racial group, according to a recent analysis by USA TODAY.
Experts say the dramatic gap in arrest and prison rates reflects biased policing as well as the vast economic and educational inequalities that plague much of the US.

http://saharareportersrescue.com/2016/05/05/for-spending-40-years-in-jail-wrongly-us-court-awards-african-man-1-million/

Such thing will never happen in Nigeria.

Ok

40 years?

More than 200 million naira. Baba God ooo.

Baba God oooo!!
People that drives range Rover, Build Duplex, marry wife, born children, have 17 shops in alaba, buy car for their parents, travels around the world, .....My Question is oooo ,

She dem no come out from woman T*TO??

Abeg Baba God Just pick my call .... incase you are seeing my call and you don't know who is calling...
MY NAME IS : CHUKWUDIEZIGBOTEGWU CHUKWUKADIBIA ..
ADDRESS: ORILE IGANMU LAGOS

This can only happen in a country with a sound judiciary system.

Here in Burkina Faso we all envy this man

Bullsheet! Just one million dollars for forty years? The compensation is very shabby. Forty years of his youthful life was taken for crying out loud! I'm pissed.

Blood of Jesus! 40 what? 1 million dollars? That's too poor.

S

Tears of Joy! But how on earth should America of All nation Wrongly incarcerate someone for 40 good years!

In fact that money too small o!

Luckylife:
God blessing in disguise!

I disagree with you sir. 40years?? If Bill Gates had spent 40 years in jail, and after his release got paid 1million dollars, would he be the billionaire that he is?? They already killed the man's destiny, God save us from such things. Amen!!

hmmmmm

1millon dollar that money too small abeg..well he can only be cheated like this because he is a black man.no white man will settle for 1millon dollar after 40 year behind bars...and beside lawyer will still collects their own pay which is almost half the money..

With that money, hecould go to school, get the best education and invest in a business that will take care of him and his children (if he will have any).

Oboy... see money.

Absolute rubbish!!! Spending that amount of years in prison doesn't mean sleeping and eating all day. What if he was sexually harrased there? Its very common. This can never happen to a white person. All those racist fuuls!

Sunnycliff:
Tears of Joy! But how on earth should America of All nation Wrongly incarcerate someone for 40 good years!

In fact that money too small o!

can dis be done in nigeria?
this is a good justice system

GloriaNinja:
Such thing will never happen in Nigeria.

people are wrongly accused of doing what they didn't do, and are being sentenced to prison here in Nigeria

They successfully wasted him and no compensation can account for the freedom he lost while behind bars.

EIYA!!! I BLAME BUHARI.

Not enough at all.

will that buy him the years he wasted in jail?

I doubt this validity of this story - that amount is ridiculously small. Even people who were wrongly jailed for 5 years got like 5 million at least.

oops!

Too small, too little.

However, his innocence will be remembered for life.

This can happen in my mother's country oh* niger we hail theee

Ah...dats nice to hear...he is finally going to be rich after long tym of suffering...

oo

God don answer him call

40 years wasted for a crime he did not commit. The best and most productive years of one's life, just taken away because somebody gave false testimony. May we never be visited with such bad luck, AMEN!!!

The scary part is that (according to the article) 1 in 25 people in jail are being held for something they didn't do. Na wah!

Too little

No amount of money can replace the wasted years.

Oga o. 40 years is a lot. Long before I was even born.

And I already feel like I've lived for 100 years.