When Ronald had finally been exonerated, it took a while for
him to get back on his feet. I never thought about how difficult it would be
for someone to get a job and a normal life after spending time in prison,
especially when it's for something as extreme as rape. What's really unfair is
that Ronald, an innocent man, had to explain to future employers that he was in
jail for 11 years for a crime he didn't commit, and wasn't being educated while
in jail so he, a 33 year old man, had the same credentials as a high school
student. Luckily, Tom Lambeth, one of Ron's lawyers, got him a job at a
factory. There, he met his wife and was able to get his life together.
Tom also got a new compensation bill passed so instead of
Ronald receiving $5,000 as compensation, he was given $10,000 for each year he
was wrongfully imprisoned. Ron accepted almost $110,000 for spending 11 years
in jail.
One of my favorite parts of the book is when he received
this money and used it to buy a house and land for him and his pregnant wife,
and then he says, "When it was warm, I liked to just sit outside in a
chair, looking at the trees... and listen to the quiet" (258). I can
picture him doing this and it makes me feel so glad because if anyone deserves
to sit on their porch and appreciate the quiet, it's Ronald.
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