A homeless man in Honolulu received $975,000 in compensation after spending more than two years in detention and a psychiatric hospital due to a police error.
The incident began when a 54-year-old man was detained while sleeping on the street, mistakenly identified as another person. Despite repeatedly stating that an arrest had been made by mistake, he was held in pre-trial detention for four months. Because he suffers from schizophrenia, he was later transferred to a psychiatric hospital, where he spent over two years.
Medical professionals dismissed his claims of innocence as “nonsense” and administered forced sedatives during compulsory medical treatment. After completing this care, the man filed a lawsuit against authorities.
Following a multi-year legal process, the city of Honolulu was ordered to pay $975,000 in compensation. The state of Hawaii is also considering an additional payment of $200,000.
In another case, 61-year-old Kenneth Windley spent nearly 19 years in prison after being wrongfully convicted in 2005 when he used a stolen check to purchase a stove for his mother.
