Forum Topic

Compensation

The Telegraph today:-"Innocent man to pay prison bed and board if he wins compensation over wrongful rape convictionAndrew Malkinson, 57, was told he could leave court a 'free man', having spent almost two decades in jail.An innocent man who wrongly served 17 years in prison for rape said he is sickened by the idea of paying the prison service back for bed and board if he wins compensation...."On BBC Radio 4, he mentioned that guilty prisoners don't have to pay for bed and board.

David Ainsworth ● 922d6 Comments

Innocent until proven guilty.Found guilty untill proven innocent.Both equally as important.It's a shame it is not seen that way by some.

Ed Robinson ● 921d

And there are other court cases where compensation is due to be paid out - but hasn't been...  yet.

Philippa Bond ● 921d

What next? Charge him for lights out as if it were a turn-down service?If the system is at fault let it pay up and generously. It will be an incentive to improve.

Ed Robinson ● 921d

An appalling case which raises questions about the conduct of the Greater Manchester Police, the CPS, the Court of Appeal and the CCRC. The requirement that prisoners must confess their guilt in order to be eligible for parole only exacerbates the problem in the case of a miscarriage of justice.

Steven Rose ● 921d

Apparently he worked for years in the prison laundry and was paid about a tenth (I think that he said) of what he would have got if he was doing the job outside. In that case the prison service, having kept the "underpaid" portion of his wages, can cover his bed and board with it.This mean and insensitive behaviour has happened before and the appeal against it was turned down:-"Three men who spent a total of 46 years in prison because of miscarriages of justice today lost their legal battle not to have to pay "living expenses" for the time they spent behind bars.""Lord Bingham ... said if the prisoners were awarded the full sum, "they would in reality be better off than if they had earned the money as free men, since as free men they would have had to spend the minimum necessary to keep themselves alive".https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2007/mar/14/prisonsandprobation.ukcrime"they would in reality be better off".!If only Charles Dickens had invented this judge!

David Ainsworth ● 921d

That cannot possibly be true!Innocent man wrongly accused and imprisoned for 17 years for a rape he never committed and, if compensation is granted, he has to pay for bed and board?  Do they think he willfully chose to go and have a holiday in prison????? Ridiculous is an understatement!

Ivonne Holliday ● 922d