Shocking Injustice: $10 Million Payout for Man Wrongfully Jailed for 23 Years

Nassau County has paid a significant $10 million settlement to Joseph Jackson, a man who spent more than two decades in prison following a murder conviction that was ultimately overturned. This payment, approved by the Nassau County Legislature in March, appears to be the largest sum disbursed by the county for police misconduct in at least the past five years, according to documents obtained by Newsday through public records requests.

Jackson's ordeal began in 1997 when he was convicted of second-degree murder and other charges, receiving a sentence of 25 years to life for the 1994 fatal shooting of 19-year-old Steven Jason in Freeport. However, his conviction was thrown out in 2018 after it was revealed that police had failed to disclose critical eyewitness statements, a revelation that led to his release after serving 23 years and 2 months.

Months after his exoneration, Jackson, now 56, filed a federal civil lawsuit. He alleged that Nassau County and Freeport Village police "hid and withheld the existence of eyewitnesses," thereby leading to an improper trial and a wrongful conviction. While Freeport was later removed from the lawsuit, the case against Nassau County proceeded, culminating in the substantial settlement.

The events leading to Jackson's conviction began in March 1994, after Steven Jason was killed following a party at an American Legion Hall. Police collected several eyewitness statements at the time. Jackson was arrested months later after selling cocaine to an informant. His lawsuit claims that during approximately 40 hours of interrogation, he was "beaten, threatened and coerced into signing a fifteen-page false confession prepared by police."

Crucially, the two withheld eyewitness statements, which Jackson eventually obtained through a public records request, came from men who saw the shooting, one of whom was an off-duty NYPD officer. One witness described the perpetrator as a Black man, 5’9” to 5’10”, with a "dark brown face." Joseph Jackson, who is Black, is 6 feet tall with a light complexion, a stark discrepancy. Neither of these eyewitnesses testified at the trial, and both later stated they had not been contacted by either prosecutors or defense attorneys.

After a thorough review, the Nassau County District Attorney’s Conviction Integrity Unit determined that Jackson's conviction was improper and requested a court to overturn it. On February 16, 2018, New York Supreme Court Justice Teresa Corrigan concurred, stating, “Regardless, an error in procedure has occurred and even an unintentional error cannot be overlooked by the criminal justice system.” Jackson was released on that day, having consistently maintained his innocence throughout his incarceration.

This significant settlement comes amidst a trend of increasing payouts by Long Island governments for lawsuits alleging police misconduct. Nassau County itself faces at least two other pending lawsuits from individuals who were freed from prison after their convictions were overturned. Despite the implications of the settlement, Joseph Jackson's attorney, Gabriel Harvis, declined to comment or make Jackson available for an interview, and spokespeople for Nassau County and its police department also did not respond to inquiries.