There is minimal research on the psychological effects of wrongful conviction and imprisonment. This is a descriptive study of a sample of 18 men referred for systematic psychiatric assessment after their convictions were quashed on appeal and they were released from long-term imprisonment. Sixteen were U.K. cases; two were from other jurisdictions. The assessments revealed evidence of substantial psychiatric morbidity. Fourteen men met ICD-10 diagnostic criteria for "enduring personality change following catastrophic experience" (F62.0), 12 met the criteria for post-traumatic stress disorder, and most reported additional mood and anxiety disorders. There were major problems of psychological and social adjustment, particularly within families. The difficulties were similar to those described in the clinical literature on war veterans. Possible explanations for these effects are discussed: specific traumatic features of miscarriage of justice and long-term imprisonment both appear to contribute to the post-release psychological problems.

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The purpose of this paper is to provide some reflections on time in relation to imprisonment. These arise from three interview based studies we have been carrying out involving distinctly different groups of ex-prisoners. We are focused particularly on the phenomena of post-release experience, and their implications for the ways in which we think about imprisonment effects. If a more accurate view of long-term imprisonment is that it permanently alters the life courses of those involved, removes part of their expected life history and causes harms beyond sentence, then we need not only to rethink how we assist released prisoners, but, more fundamentally, we need to rethink our ideas of prison as punishment.

SummaryThe prominence of risk in UK social and criminal justice policy creates opportunities, challenges and dangers for forensic psychiatry. The future standing of the specialty will depend not only on the practical utility of its responses to those opportunities and challenges, but also the ethical integrity of those responses.