Payback

Ex-Inmate Seeks Cash Compensation

Suing after 27 years of wrongful imprisonment.

After 27 years in prison for a crime he didn't commit, a man in Florida is seeking restitution from the system in the form of a large sum of cash. William Dillon was released last November when a DNA test proved his innocence in a bludgeoning death he was convicted of nearly three decades ago, and is one of more than 200 inmates in the U.S. who have been cleared of their charges as a result of DNA testing. "Everything that was out here had completely changed to me," Dillon said of life after prison. "It was like I was Fred Flintstone that came out." Under Florida's compensation laws, Dillon could potentially receive more than $1 million for his time behind bars—that's $50,000 per year of imprisonment, though a previous felony drug-possession charge may prevent him from receiving any of the money.