After Prison
Once out of prison, Echols had few job skills and did not apply for a driver’s license because he worried he would be stopped by police and sent back to prison.
"When I go to a store, I make sure the cashier can see me. I don't want anyone to think I'm doing anything wrong."
"I want someone in this state to come to me and say, 'Hey, we made a mistake. We're sorry. We hate that this happened to you. You were a good soldier, and we ruined your life.' "
In 2000, Echols was arrested in Memphis for being outside of his parole. Although he had been allowed to move to Mississippi to set up a home remodelling business, he had not reported to his parole officer for two years and an arrest warrant was issued. Echols claims that he thought his parole had ended. He served two more years in prison.
Finally, in 2002, Echols was cleared of the charges which had ruined the previous sixteen years of his life. However, despite being cleared, he has received no compensation or apology from the state. On February 23, 2005, a bill was introduced in the Georgia legislature to compensate Mr. Echols by ordering the Department of Corrections to award $1.6 million to Douglas Echols as compensation for wrongful conviction. However, the bill did not pass the legislature. Mr. Echols has yet to receive compensation from the state of Georgia.
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