Reluctant to embrace innocence: an experimental test of persevering culpability judgments on people’s willingness to support reintegration services for exonerees

Scherr, Kyle C.; Normile, Christopher J.; Sarmiento, Maria Camila

doi:10.1007/s11292-017-9306-2

Cited by 20 publications

(34 citation statements)

References 16 publications

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“…They also rated this exoneree as the most responsible for his own conviction and expressed the most doubt over his innocence. Our findings thus add to a growing literature suggesting that exonerees who falsely confessed may be especially disadvantaged in terms of their ability to receive valuable post‐release assistance and restitution (Scherr et al, b).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 68%

“…Most importantly, we predicted that perceptions of responsibility would mediate the effect of our manipulations on damage awards, such that exonerees who were seen as more responsible would be given smaller damage awards. Finally, participants indicated the degree to which they believed that the exoneree was actually innocent of the crime for which he was exonerated; consistent with Clow and Leach () and Scherr et al (b), we predicted that participants would be less confident in false confessors' innocence.…”

Section: Introductionsupporting

confidence: 73%

“…After learning of a wrongful conviction, people may therefore rationalize the injustice by believing that the exoneree is not truly innocent, is guilty of other crimes, or was somehow responsible for their own plight. Consistent with this possibility, Scherr, Normile, and Sarmiento () found that people who read a news story about an exoneration were often unconvinced of the exoneree's innocence, which in turn predicted their willingness to support government‐sponsored counseling services for the exoneree.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

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Stigma against false confessors impacts post‐exoneration financial compensation

Kukucka

Evelo

2019

Behavioral Sci & The Law

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False confessors are stigmatized more than other exonerees. Traditional theories of stigma suggest that this difference may result from confessors being seen as more responsible for their own wrongful conviction. In the current study, we examined an important tangible consequence of stigma against false confessors—namely, that it might impede their ability to win financial restitution in post‐exoneration civil lawsuits. Mock jurors (N = 129), recruited online, read a case summary in which an exoneree is seeking damages after being wrongly convicted due to a false confession or eyewitness misidentification, which either did or did not result from police misconduct. When the exoneree falsely confessed in the absence of police misconduct, mock jurors rated him as most responsible for his own conviction and expressed the most doubt over his actual innocence. Contrary to legal criteria, they also awarded him smaller compensatory and punitive damage awards. Notably, the false confessor was seen as more responsible than the misidentified exoneree even if his interrogation was highly coercive. In turn, false confessors who were seen as more responsible received smaller damage awards. Implications for trial procedure and exoneree compensation are discussed.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 68%

Section: Introductionsupporting

confidence: 73%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

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Stigma against false confessors impacts post‐exoneration financial compensation

Kukucka

Evelo

2019

Behavioral Sci & The Law

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“…[51][52][53] This may be because the public are concerned that the exoneration process itself was flawed, and they prefer to believe the veracity of the original conviction, despite the outcome of the legal review process. 54 Future research should consider ways of improving public perception. Otherwise, the wrongfully accused will continue to be stigmatised by others, which is likely to worsen the psychological impact of their experience.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Psychological impact of being wrongfully accused of criminal offences: A systematic literature review

Brooks

Greenberg

2020

Med Sci Law

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Being wrongfully accused of criminal offences can lead to serious negative consequences to those wrongfully accused and their families. However, there is little research on the psychological and psychosocial impacts of wrongful accusations. We conducted a systematic literature review to collate the existing literature, searching four electronic literature databases and reference lists of relevant articles. Data were extracted from 20 relevant papers, and thematic analysis was conducted on the data. Eight main themes were identified: loss of identity; stigma; psychological and physical health; relationships with others; attitudes towards the justice system; impact on finances and employment; traumatic experiences in custody; and adjustment difficulties. The psychological consequences of wrongful accusations appear to affect the lives of those accused seriously, even after exoneration or overturning of convictions. Strategies for improving public perception of wrongful convictions should be explored, and specific mental-health systems should be established to support those who are wrongfully accused.

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“…Tudor-Owen et al, 2019). It appears stronger toward Black exonerees under some circumstances (Howard, 2019;Scherr et al, 2018) and may adversely affect the likelihood of obtaining a job (Clow, 2017;Kukucka et al, 2020). Such stigma is likely to affect the post-incarceration functioning of exonerated individuals in various ways.…”

Section: Stigmamentioning

confidence: 99%

Therapy with Exonerated Clients: Domains of Need

Heilbrun

Lankford

Fishel

et al. 2021

Handbook of Issues in Criminal Justice Reform in the United States

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Criminal defendants who are wrongly convicted of charges and subsequently incarcerated experience one of the worst errors our society can make. Such errors are only partly rectified when such convictions are formally reversed, and these individuals are released from incarceration. This chapter expands upon a recent review (Heilbrun et al., The Journal of Forensic Practice 22(2):123-135, 2020) of the potential therapy needs of exonerated individuals following release from incarceration and return to the community. This chapter provides a more detailed review of the treatment literature, particularly as it applies to justiceinvolved individuals and is expanded to consider those exonerated from convictions, in the following areas: trauma, emotions, adjustment, relationships, finances, stigma, fame, propensity for offending, education, and jobs. Based on this review, we offer a more detailed analysis of how therapy services might be provided to exonerated individuals.

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Reluctant to embrace innocence: an experimental test of persevering culpability judgments on people’s willingness to support reintegration services for exonerees

Cited by 20 publications

References 16 publications

Stigma against false confessors impacts post‐exoneration financial compensation

Stigma against false confessors impacts post‐exoneration financial compensation

Psychological impact of being wrongfully accused of criminal offences: A systematic literature review

Therapy with Exonerated Clients: Domains of Need

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