Man spent 44 years in jail for rape offence he didn’t commit, govt says it will compensate him for only 15 of those years

A man, Ronnie Long, who was wrongfully imprisoned for 44 years on a rape conviction in North Carolina, United States, has said he deserved more after the state is only compensating him for 15 of those years, the USA Today reported.

In 1976, Long, who is Black, was accused of raping a white woman and then sentenced to life in prison. His attorneys have said that more than 40 fingerprints and other evidence collected at the scene were never shared. Long was freed in August 2020. He just received a $750,000 cheque.

North Carolina law states anyone wrongfully convicted of a crime can receive $50,000 for each year they were imprisoned, but the catch is the amount caps at $750,000. That means Long, who is 65, will not be compensated for 29 years of the time in prison.

“You took my 20s, my 30s, my 40s and my 50s and you still talking about this is worth that?” Long told USA TODAY.

Long’s criminal attorney, Jamie Lau, said in a statement to USA TODAY the amount given to Long is “inadequate.” Long’s parents passed away during his time in prison and had no savings before he ws jailed.

“He entered prison healthy and left broken. His ongoing financial security is the least he deserves after so much was taken over those 44 years,” Lau said.

Other states have similar caps. Mississippi law allows annual payments of $50,000 for each year a person is wrongfully incarcerated but sets a maximum of 10 years’ payment.

Lau said Long’s case and those similar highlight the inadequacy in the cap and Long shouldn’t have needed a pardon from Governor Roy Cooper to receive the money.

“It’s time to revisit this amount since we are learning the magnitude of the harm caused by wrongful convictions in North Carolina. It’s also time to revisit the compensation statute as a whole, as the governor should not have full authority over who does and does not receive compensation,” Lau said.