What is a fair amount to pay someone who is wrongfully imprisoned? $1,000 per year in prison? $10,000?

It's a question that is coming up more, as inmates increasingly have been able to use DNA evidence to win their freedom.

The Wisconsin state claims board recently concluded that Robert Lee Stinson (pictured), who spent 23 years in prison for a murder he did not commit, should be awarded $25,000, which equals $1,086 per year in prison.

In a decision released Monday, the board conceded that $25,000 was inadequate, but it noted that it was legally barred from awarding more. The board did, however, recommend that the Wisconsin legislature pay Stinson an additional $90,000, noting that Stinson has been conclusively cleared of the murder. ( Here'san Associated Press account of the board's decision.)

Stinson's attorney, Heather Lewis Donnell, told the Law Blog she is pleased the board requested an additional $90,000, but she said that $115,000 still is not enough. "He went to prison as a 21 year old," Donnell said. "He gave up everything: having a family, building a career, getting an education. How do you figure out compensation for that?"