Marcus Lyons was wrongly convicted of rape in 1987. He was later exonerated through DNA evidence in 2007, received a full pardon in 2008 and last month he received a $5 million settlement from the town of Woodbridge for his wrongful imprisonment.
While $5 million is a lot of money, Lyons told the Chicago Tribune that “[m]oney can’t compensate for lost time. I had no career and my life was taken from me.” Lyons, now 54, had no criminal record and was planning to finish college before returning to his job in the Navy when he was convicted. He could not find work after being paroled in 1999 because he still had to register as a sex offender. He has never married or had children.
Lyons is one of the lucky ones to be compensated for their time in prison. Many exonerees are left with nothing due to difficult compensation requirements or lack of resources to file civil suits.
Donate now to support NCIP’s Speakers Bureau and help exonerees gain income and the confidence to educate the public about their stories of injustice. www.indiegogo.com/ncipspeakersbureau
Read the full article in the Chicago Tribune here.
