Prisoners Seek Restitution for Wrongful Convictions - NYTimes.com

Suppose he was convicted erroneously but not "wrongfully" by a jury?  If the prosecutor suppressed evidence?  Should he be compensated?  In both cases?  Should prosecutors be immune in tort - but assessed "compassionate payments" when a decision to prosecute on uncertain evidence proves to be wrong in fact? - gwc

Prisoners Seek Restitution for Wrongful Convictions - NYTimes.com:

COLORADO SPRINGS — Robert Dewey spent almost 18 years in prison for a murder he did not commit. Now he spends his time waiting. Waiting for food stamps, or his monthly $698 disability check. Swallowing painkillers and waiting for his wrenched back to stop aching. Waiting for the state to repay him for lost time.

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“When you come out, you’re on top,” he said one recent afternoon, dragging on a cigarette and sinking deeper into the couch at a friend’s house. “It’s easy to fall.”

Mr. Dewey’s release is among a few high-profile exonerations that are now prodding Colorado to confront the question of what it owes inmates who have been falsely imprisoned, a civic soul-searching that Louisiana, Texas, Illinois and other states are also confronting.

Colorado is one of 23 states that have no system to compensate the wrongfully convicted. It does not provide a formal network of counseling, education or other assistance, which advocacy groups like the Innocence Project say aggravates an already difficult and meager transition back to civilian life.

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