What's right and fair

Governor Haslam  (USDA photo by Lance Cheung)

Often it’s hard to determine exactly what’s right and fair, but sometimes the answer seems quite evident.

When someone has been wrongfully imprisoned for 31 years, justice is due.  In a case like this, compensation should amount to far more than a routine $75 check.

Unfortunately, Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam does not agree.  After Lawrence McKinney was convicted of a 1977 rape, he spent decades in prison.  Finally in 2008, “DNA evidence cleared him of the charges.”

Nevertheless, the Tennessee Parole Board recently denied McKinney’s request for “formal exoneration.”  Their denial not only means that McKinney’s name is still sullied, but also means that he would not be eligible for compensation from the state Board of Claims.

McKinney has admirably moved on with his life since being released in 2009.  He’s “found the Lord and married a good wife.”  All he’s asking for now is to “be treated right and fair.”

Resources

http://www.cnn.com/2016/12/21/us/tennessee-inmate-wrongly-imprisoned/index.html 

Copyright December 23, 2016 by Linda Van Slyke   All Rights Reserved