Life After Exoneration: An Overview of Factors That Affect Exoneree Reintegration

Kirshenbaum, Jacqueline M.; Cabell, Jean J.; Moody, Sarah A; Yang, Yueran

doi:10.1007/978-3-030-54678-6_6

Cited by 6 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 76 publications

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“…Even fewer studies have considered the experiences of exonerees themselves. Taken together, existing studies of exonerees suggest that they frequently witnessed and/or experienced traumatic events while incarcerated (e.g., physical and/or sexual assault) and continued to face many adversities even after their release from prisonincluding but not limited to physical and/or mental illness, strained social relationships, unemployment, poverty, homelessness, and sleep disorders (for reviews, see Brooks & Greenberg, 2021;Kirshenbaum et al, 2020;Vollen & Eggers, 2005).…”

Section: What Challenges Do Exonerees Face?mentioning

confidence: 99%

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

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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.

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Section: What Challenges Do Exonerees Face?mentioning

confidence: 99%

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

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“…2). Kirshenbaum et al (2020) corroborate these findings, stating that "exoneree mental health is one of the largest obstacles to successful re-integration" (p. 189). One major concern for exonerees re-entering is dealing with the trauma of wrongful conviction and incarceration, as sexual trauma has been linked to depression, suicidal thoughts, and attempts.…”

Section: F Mandated Counselling Servicesmentioning

confidence: 68%

“…(Simms, 2013, p. 156). As noted by Kirshenbaum et al (2020), "social support is necessary for successful re-integration", mainly due to issues in finding housing, food, and clothing (p. 190). Once these needs are met and the exoneree can move past the immediate obstacles of re-entry, social workers would work on "case management services", assisting exonerees in obtaining affordable and permanent housing, finding work, finding a trusted doctor and dentist, and obtaining proper identification and documentation (Simms, 2013, p. 156).…”

Section: Social Servicesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Convicting the Innocent: An Analysis of the Effects of Wrongful Convictions and Available Remedies in Canada

Pacholski,

Anderson

2023

Wrongful Conviction L Rev

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The past three decades have seen at least 3,200 exonerations across North America. While this number continues to grow, attention must be turned to facilitating successful re-entry amongst this group. By conducting a content analysis of 57 Canadian exonerees, I gathered demographics and common case characteristics to assess the re-entry success of exonerees. Successful re-entry was incredibly difficult for the majority of exonerees due to a lack of specialized re-entry services, counselling, compensation legislation, and healthcare. Exonerees are suffering in the same ways as legitimate offenders while incarcerated and afterward, all while being offered drastically less assistance from Canada’s institutions and government

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“…It should also be noted that needs will be drastically different from exoneree to exoneree depending on various factors. Some of these factors include the age at which they were incarcerated, how long they spent incarcerated, and the age at which they were released (Alberti et al, 2019;Kirshenbaum et al, 2020). Another necessary component of reintegration is access to compensation (Armbrust, 2004;Jasiński & Kremens, 2023).…”

Section: )mentioning

confidence: 99%

Plagues in Our Criminal Justice System

Taylor-Baer,

Anderson

2024

Wrongful Conviction L Rev

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This study compared the causes of wrongful convictions in Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand to a) determine the main causes of wrongful convictions in different countries, b) determine if the cause(s) of wrongful convictions significantly differ between each country, c) determine what, if any, recommendations arose from these cases, and d) if any of these recommendations could be implemented in a Canadian setting. The main causes were witness perjury, forensic error, and procedural error (Canada), witness perjury (US), witness perjury and police misconduct (UK), police misconduct (Australia), and procedural error (New Zealand). Kruskal-Wallis tests indicated significant differences in distribution between these countries for medicolegal death investigations, bitemark analysis, procedural error, police misconduct, inadequate legal defence, eyewitness misidentification, and witness perjury. Objectives c and d were addressed through a content analysis resulting in the following five themes emerging: lack of accountability, education, accessibility, discrimination, and post exoneration.

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Life After Exoneration: An Overview of Factors That Affect Exoneree Reintegration

Cited by 6 publications

References 76 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.

Convicting the Innocent: An Analysis of the Effects of Wrongful Convictions and Available Remedies in Canada

Plagues in Our Criminal Justice System

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