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HONOLULU (KITV4) -- The newly-freed Albert "Ian" Schweitzer, one of the three men convicted in the rape and murder of Dana Ireland, is making his first public appearance to share his story and raise awareness on wrongful convictions.
It's only been a week and a half since Hawaii island judge Peter Kubota vacated Schweitzer's conviction on the basis of newly-processed DNA evidence.
Although now a free man and reunited with his family, the question remains: What's next for Albert "Ian" Schweitzer and how does a man who's served the past two decades in prison reacclimate to society?
"It's been ridiculous," Schweitzer confessed. "The island and the world has changed so much. I'm basically starting at like a two years old."
Hawaii is currently one of 38 states to have exoneree compensation statutes. A state bill, officially established in 2016, outlines wrongfully-convicted individuals are subject to $50,000 for each year they serve behind bars.
"What do we owe a person as a state?" questioned Kenneth Lawson, with the Hawaii Innocence Project. "Because I don't care if you're liberal or conservative. No one wants to see an innocent man or woman locked up in prison for a crime they didn't do."
For Schweitzer, who was convicted back in the year 2000, the 23 years served equates to $1.15 million.
The statute also identifies the possibility of an additional $100,000 awarded under extraordinary circumstances and pay for up to $10,000 in attorney fees.
"It's real. The system is broken," Schweitzer added. "We need help. There's other people like me who are incarcerated and it costs money for everything."
But any compensation at all comes with the price of returning to court, to present actionable claim against the state.
"it's going to depend on the state. If they're going to fight it and contest it, so be it. It's just going to take longer," Lawson explained.
Still, representatives with the Hawaii Innocence Project, who not only helped in the passing of Hawaii's initial compensation statute, but led the effort to prove Schweitzer's innocence, say the act needs to be revised.
Other state's provide social services to exonerees -- an issue that has not specifically been addressed in the local statute
"If you're guilty of murder or if you're guilty of bank robbery, you get released on parole. There's services for you, " Lawson continued. "There's social workers that help you reacclimate and reenter into society. When you're actually innocent, you don't go on probation. You don't go on parole and there is no reentry service. For someone like Ian, who's been out of society for 24 years, how do we help him?"
As for what's next for Ian Schweitzer...
"You know, for the future I'm just going to take it one day at a time," he said.
Schweitzer, alongside members of the Hawaii Innocence Project, will be hosting a public fundraiser at Café Julia Thursday night from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. to raise awareness of wrongful convictions.
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