When a man or woman is wrongfully imprisoned, Illinois law says they're entitled to compensation. But like so many others owed money by state government, 14 innocent individuals are still waiting. This is one of their stories.
Angel Gonzalez was wrongly deprived of his liberty for more than two decades. For that, he’s entitled to the maximum compensation allowed by Illinois law: $220,732 dollars.
Gonzalez is free today because of the work of two groups: one is the Innocence Project in New York; the other is the Illinois Innocence Project at the University of Illinois Springfield, where John Hanlon is executive and legal director. He spoke with our reporter Brian Mackey.
Brian Mackey covers state government for NPR Illinois. You can follow his reporting on Twitter and Facebook. A version of this story was first broadcast on Illinois Edition on September 16, 2016.
