Incentivized to Testify: Informant Witnesses

Wetmore, Stacy A.; Neuschatz, Jeffrey S.; Roth, Jessica; Jenkins, Baylee D.; Grand, Alexis M. Le

doi:10.1007/978-3-030-54678-6_2

Cited by 8 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 43 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…While the public may blame false confessors for their own plight (e.g., Savage et al, 2018), the current study found no relationship between false confession and self-blame-though it is important to note that we did not ask exonerees whether they personally gave a false confession or were implicated in someone else's false confession (i.e., a secondary confession; Wetmore et al, 2020), which is likewise compelling to fact finders. Alternatively, it may be that false confessors understand-as research has amply demonstrated (see Kassin et al, 2010)-that common interrogation practices can lead even unimpaired adults to falsely confess, and hence they do not blame themselves.…”

Section: P Olicy Im Plicationscontrasting

confidence: 58%

The Exoneree Health and Life Experiences (ExHaLE) Study: Trauma Exposure and Mental Health among Wrongly Convicted Individuals

Kukucka¹,

Horodyski²,

Dardis³

2022

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The exoneree population is growing rapidly, and legislatures are increasingly contemplating whether and how to better support exonerees, yet we know relatively little about exonerees’ mental health and other post-release needs. In this, the largest-ever study of exonerees, 59 exonerees completed measures of trauma exposure, PTSD, depression, perceived social support, posttraumatic cognitions, and personal history. Most exonerees (80%) reported having experienced trauma while incarcerated, and our measures classified half of exonerees as meeting criteria for probable PTSD (48-52%) and/or major depressive disorder (51%). Exonerees who reported stronger social support, weaker negative cognitions about the self and world, and/or full-time employment exhibited better mental health—but mental health was unrelated to time served, time since release, financial compensation, or false confession. Our findings underscore the fact that all exonerees need and deserve access to holistic and long-term transitional support. For clinicians, our findings also highlight specific psychotherapeutic approaches that may be effective with this population.

show abstract

Section: P Olicy Im Plicationscontrasting

confidence: 58%

The Exoneree Health and Life Experiences (ExHaLE) Study: Trauma Exposure and Mental Health among Wrongly Convicted Individuals

Kukucka¹,

Horodyski²,

Dardis³

2022

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Some statutes selectively bar exonerees who falsely confessed or pleaded guilty from receiving compensation on the grounds that they “contributed to their own wrongful conviction” (Scholand, 2013). While the public may blame false confessors for their own plight (e.g., Savage et al, 2018), we found no relationship between false confession and self-blame—though we did not ask exonerees if they personally gave a false confession or were implicated in someone else’s false confession, which is likewise compelling to fact finders (Wetmore et al, 2020). Alternatively, false confessors may acutely understand—as research has amply demonstrated (see Kassin et al, 2010)—that common interrogation practices can lead even unimpaired adults to falsely confess, and hence they do not blame themselves.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 57%

The Exoneree Health and Life Experiences (ExHaLE) study: Trauma exposure and mental health among wrongly convicted individuals.

Kukucka¹,

Horodyski²,

Dardis³

2022

Psychology, Public Policy, and Law

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The exoneree population is growing rapidly, and legislatures are increasingly contemplating whether and how to better support exonerees’ reentry, yet our understanding of exonerees’ mental health and other postrelease needs remains somewhat limited. The current study measured trauma exposure and mental health, including various protective and risk factors, in the largest-ever sample of exonerees. Fifty-nine exonerees completed online measures of trauma exposure, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, depressive symptoms, perceived social support, negative posttraumatic cognitions (including self-blame), and personal history (e.g., time served, time since release, race, cause of conviction, and compensation received). Overall, 80% of exonerees reported experiencing at least one significant traumatic event while incarcerated, and approximately half reported clinically significant symptoms of PTSD (48–52%) and/or depression (51%). Exonerees who reported stronger social support, weaker negative cognitions about the self and world, and/or full-time employment exhibited better mental health—but mental health was unrelated to time served, time since release, financial compensation, or false confession. Our findings underscore the importance of legislative actions that guarantee exonerees access to holistic and long-term transitional support (e.g., mental health counseling, vocational and financial literacy training). For clinicians, our findings also highlight specific psychotherapeutic approaches that may be effective with exonerated clients.

show abstract

“…From the research presented here different instructions may be necessary. Currently, a number of states (Florida, Texas, Oklahoma, Nebraska, and Illinois) require, by law, that the prosecution turn over all information pertaining to the jailhouse informant in a timely manner (Wetmore et al, press). This type of mandate is important to allow for the defense to adequately cross-examine an informant.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Do Judicial Instructions Aid in Distinguishing Between Reliable and Unreliable Jailhouse Informants?

Wetmore

Neuschatz

Fessinger

et al. 2020

Criminal Justice and Behavior

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Jailhouse informants are a leading cause of wrongful convictions. In an attempt to preempt such miscarriages of justice, several states (e.g., Connecticut and California) have mandated that judicial instructions be provided to act as a safeguard against false testimony. This study evaluated the effectiveness of these instructions in helping jurors distinguish between reliable and unreliable jailhouse informants. Participants read a trial transcript that varied instructions (Standard, Connecticut, Enhanced) and informant reliability (reliable, unreliable). The results indicated that the instructions had no effect on verdict decisions. Even though verdicts did not vary, participants rated the unreliable informant as less trustworthy, honest, and interested in justice than the reliable informant. This is consistent with previous findings that indicate that participants are aware of the legal prescriptions given in the instructions, but they do not implement them in making decisions. Therefore, instructions may be an insufficient safeguard.

show abstract

Incentivized to Testify: Informant Witnesses

Cited by 8 publications

References 43 publications

The Exoneree Health and Life Experiences (ExHaLE) Study: Trauma Exposure and Mental Health among Wrongly Convicted Individuals

The Exoneree Health and Life Experiences (ExHaLE) Study: Trauma Exposure and Mental Health among Wrongly Convicted Individuals

The Exoneree Health and Life Experiences (ExHaLE) study: Trauma exposure and mental health among wrongly convicted individuals.

Do Judicial Instructions Aid in Distinguishing Between Reliable and Unreliable Jailhouse Informants?

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About