NCJ Number
240907
Journal
Criminal Justice Policy Review Volume: 23 Issue: 3 Dated: September 2012 Pages: 352-374
Date Published
September 2012
Length
23 pages
Annotation
This study provides a content analysis of existing compensation statutes for the wrongly convicted.
Abstract
As the discovery of wrongful convictions grows, so does concern in the legal community and public sphere about actual innocence. Though research on miscarriages of justice has grown tremendously, most has focused on the factors contributing to wrongful convictions, with relatively little attention paid to the post-release struggles of exonerees. Specifically, social scientists have not yet examined policies designed to assist the exonerated in their return to society. This study provides a content analysis of existing compensation statutes for the wrongly convicted. Results show that just more than half of American States have compensation statutes for exonerees, and the assistance offered varies tremendously from State to State. Assessing current statutes in comparison to a model standard indicates that whereas some jurisdictions provide fairly comprehensive packages, others offer little in the way of reentry assistance. The importance of such statutes and implications for the wrongly convicted are discussed. Abstract published by arrangement with Sage Journals.