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Exonerated Colorado Prisoner Receives $1.2 Million under New Compensation Law
Exonerated Colorado Prisoner Receives $1.2 Million under New Compensation Law
by Joe Watson
A man who spent over 17 years in prison for a murder he didn’t commit became the first Colorado prisoner to receive damages from the state under a new compensation law.
In September …
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More from this issue:
- Twenty-Five Years of Prison Legal News, by Paul Wright
- HRDC Litigation Project Update – 25th Anniversary Edition, by Lance Weber
- News in Brief
- Ohio Prisoner Represents Himself, Beats Attempted Murder Charges
- Dehydration Death of North Carolina Prisoner Prompts Investigations, Firings, Resignations, by Christopher Zoukis
- When is a Person too Insane to Execute?, by Matthew Clarke
- Disabled Minnesota Prisoner Settles Discrimination Lawsuit for $10,000, Other Relief, by Robert Warlick
- Convictions Affirmed for Two Former Rhode Island Guards Who Assaulted Prisoners
- Maryland County Jail Guards Receive Rights Mirroring Those of State Prison Guards
- $500,000 Settlement in Georgia Prisoner’s Death while on Work Crew
- Easing Residency Restrictions Helps Curb Homelessness Among Registered Sex Offenders, by Matthew Clarke
- Former Prisoner Receives $50,000 Settlement for Beating by Ohio Jail Guard, by Derek Gilna
- First Circuit Vacates Massachusetts Prisoner’s $325,956.36 Damages, Attorney Fee Award, by Matthew Clarke
- Due Process Requires Notice Prior to Court-Ordered Deduction from Prisoners’ Accounts, by David Reutter
- California Pays $585,000 to Settle Suit by Prisoner Who Lost Eye Due to Poor Medical Care, by Michael Brodheim
- Iowa DOC May Not Switch Administrative Law Judges in Mid-Disciplinary Process, by Matthew Clarke
- The Wal-Mart Model: Not Just for Retail, Now It’s for Private Prisons Too!, by Carl Takei
- Fifth Circuit Reinstates Dallas County Jail Excessive Force Suit, by Matthew Clarke
- Prisoner Files Lawsuit after Being Pepper Sprayed in Restraint Chair, by Derek Gilna
- $50,000 Settlement for Prisoner’s Suicide at Iowa County Jail, by Gary Hunter
- Maine Sheriff, Mired in Controversy, Defeated in Re-election Bid
- Georgia Jail Pays $937,500 in Wrongful Death Settlement
- Former Prisoner Left Blind by Assault Obtains Reversal of FTCA Claim, by David Reutter
- Seventh Circuit Orders New Trial due to Shackling of Prisoner Plaintiff, by Lonnie Burton
- New Jersey, Ohio DOCs Significantly Reduce Phone Rates
- $7,500 Award for Ohio Prisoner in Slip and Fall Accident, by David Reutter
- Exonerated Colorado Prisoner Receives $1.2 Million under New Compensation Law, by Joe Watson
- Accuracy of Widely-Used Polygraph Machine Under Fire, by Derek Gilna
- The Persistence of Mass Incarceration, by James Kilgore
- Lifetime GPS Monitoring of Sex Offenders Upheld in South Carolina, by Lonnie Burton
- Oregon Mental Patient’s Death Nets $1.4 Million, by Mark Wilson
- Oregon Parole Board Orders Must Explain Decisions, but Orders Defined to Include Administrative Review Responses, by Mark Wilson
- Human Rights Groups, Environmentalists Oppose New Federal Prison on Former Coal Mine in Kentucky, by Panagioti Tsolkas
- Ninth Circuit Upholds $106,000 in Damages Plus Attorney Fees for Withheld Evidence, by Mark Wilson
- ICE Settles New York Immigration Raid Lawsuit for $1 Million, by Matthew Clarke
- California Probation Cannot Exceed Maximum for Unpaid Restitution, by Mark Wilson
- From the Editor, by Paul Wright
More from Joe Watson:
- 3 Murders in 10 Months at Oklahoma Prison Run by CCA, Jan. 3, 2018
- Missouri’s Release of Pot Dealer Doing LWOP Gives Hope to Nonviolent Drug Offenders Incarcerated Nationwide, Nov. 28, 2017
- Former Sheriff Arpaio Guilty of Criminal Contempt, Receives Presidential Pardon, Nov. 6, 2017
- IRS Audit Prompts New Mexico County to Convert Bonds Used for ICE Facility, Oct. 10, 2017
- TN Prison Counselor Suspended for Posting Insults on Facebook, Aug. 30, 2017
- Wiccan Prisoner Settles with NV DOC Over Denial of Hardbound Religious Books, Aug. 7, 2017
- Settlement for IN Man Deprived of Critical Meds While Incarcerated in County Jail, Aug. 7, 2017
- NV Prisoner with Hand Injury Settles for Used TV, Medical Evaluation and $40.70 in Copying Fees, Aug. 7, 2017
- IN Woman Settles Wrongful Arrest Lawsuit, Aug. 7, 2017
- $7,500,000 Class-Action Settlement for Illegal Strip-Searches in Camden, NJ , Aug. 7, 2017
More from these topics:
- North Carolina’s “Iryna’s Law” Leads to Jail Overcrowding, Sept. 1, 2026. Overcrowding, State Legislation, Pretrial Detention and Detainees, Bail/Pretrial Release.
- Idaho Legislature Moves to Hide Execution Protocol from Judicial Scrutiny, Sept. 1, 2026. Disclosure of Records, Discovery, Public Records, State Legislation, Method of Execution.
- Mental Health Diversion from New York State Jails Varies Widely by County, Sept. 1, 2026. Criminal justice system reform, Alternative Sentencing, Mental Health, State Legislation.
- New Connecticut Law Changes PREA Standards, Sept. 1, 2026. Staff-Prisoner Assault, Failure to Protect (General), Administrative Exhaustion, Prison Rape Elimination Act, State Legislation.
- $11 Million Paid by Boston to Exonerated Prisoner for 37-Year Wrongful Incarceration, Sept. 1, 2026. Settlements, Wrongful Conviction, Wrongful Imprisonment, Monell Liability, Withholding of Exculpatory Evidence.
- $75 Million CoreCivic Contract to Reopen Minnesota Private Prison Creates Resistance from Activists and Lawmakers, Sept. 1, 2026. Corrections Corporation of America/CoreCivic, Protests, Advocacy, State Legislation, Immigration Detention.
- Detroit Pays $5.8 Million to Former State Prisoner Exonerated of Murder After 15 Years, Aug. 1, 2026. Wrongful Conviction, Qualified Immunity, 42 U.S. Code § 1983, civil action for deprivation of rights, Eyewitness Identification, Evidence - Failure to Disclose.
- $13 Million Awarded to Exonerated Illinois Prisoner Tortured to Confess by Corrupt Cops, Aug. 1, 2026. Police Misconduct, Wrongful Conviction, Certificate of Innocence, False Imprisonment, Confessions - Coerced.
- Jail Oversight Body Stalled by New York Governor, Aug. 1, 2026. Government Misconduct, Corrections Audits, Prison Reform, Public Records, State Legislation.
- Colorado Governor Signs Bill to Expand Earned Time Credits and Other Measures, Aug. 1, 2026. Overcrowding, Overdetention, State Legislation, Credits, Reduction of Prison Population.

