Fred Clay, wrongfully convicted at age 16 for the murder of a cab driver, was released from jail after 38 years of being locked up as an innocent man. The State of Massachusetts recently raised the cap of their payout for wrongful convictions to $1MM and Clay is the first wrongfully convicted person to receive the state’s full payout.
Even so, the payout only equates to $26,000 a year of his served time, and in the 17 months Clay has been released, he has struggled to find work and decent housing. His case has spurred a new bill to be filed which provides a quicker cash payout to those wrongfully convicted, as well as help with housing and job training.