2-3-4 Challenge Book Discussions #1 discussion

Texas has a $25,000 cap on settlements for wrongful imprisonment. Your thoughts?

It's a pittance for someone who lost twenty years of their lives, who has little or no chance to make an income when they get out, and it shows how the justice system is weighted to "let itself off" from wrongful practices.

It's not fair because pardoned or not there is still a stigma behind being convicted in the first place. There is also the years behind bars that changes a person completely as they lived by another set of rules. After 20 years how do you integrate back to "normal life". As he was also young going into prison he hasn't been on his own ever, so there is the loss of growing up and maturing. The world has also changed a lot in that time so it's like going to a new country.

I think the state should provide therapy, resources into getting back into society, setting up employment and maybe then $25,000 would get them through the first several years...not even touching on the fairness of it.

Texas has the distinction of having executed more people than any other state. A few years ago, there was a huge scandal involving one of the state's forensic labs where they had falsified testing in favor of the state and determined that there were men who had been executed based on their reported results. This cap was established because they know there are many in their prisons who shouldn't be there. It's shameful.

Jonetta wrote: "Texas has the distinction of having executed more people than any other state. A few years ago, there was a huge scandal involving one of the state's forensic labs where they had falsified testing ..."

I heard about that as well and it's scary!

I like that Baldacci brings to light real truths that we might not know in his fictional stories. It makes his books more valuable to read, imho.

I think 25,000.00 dollars is so low when they actually made a mistake in wrongful conviction. Especially 20 years and everything the mind set is going through, is not a fair price. I think it should be based on how much the individual makes each year times how many years he was in prison.