Baltimore Spending Board Considers $48 Million Settlement for Wrongful Conviction.
The Baltimore spending board is considering a $48 million settlement to compensate the ‘Harlem Park Three,’ who was wrongfully convicted of murder in 1983. The three men, Alfred Chestnut, Ransom Watkins, and Andrew Stewart, were teenagers when they were accused of murdering a 14-year-old boy and spent 36 years in prison before being exonerated in 2019.
According to a Baltimore Sun article, the spending board is expected to approve the settlement, which will be the largest in the city’s history. The payment will be divided between the three men, with Chestnut receiving $24 million, Watkins receiving $12 million, and Stewart receiving $12 million.
The settlement is a step toward addressing systemic issues within the criminal justice system. The wrongful conviction of the ‘Harlem Park Three’ resulted from police misconduct and a flawed justice system. The settlement will provide much-needed compensation to the three men who lost decades of their lives due to a wrongful conviction.
