Addressing the Impact of Wrongful Convictions on Crime Victims
"When a wrongfully convicted
individual is exonerated, the original crime victim may experience
feelings of guilt, fear, helplessness, devastation and depression. For
some victims, the impact of the wrongful conviction may be comparable
to — or even worse than — that of their original victimization.
These
are the findings of an NIJ-funded study examining how wrongful
convictions affect the original crime victims, an area in which no
prior empirical research had been conducted. Researchers from ICF
International conducted in-depth studies to identify the shared
experiences and service needs of the original crime victims in 11 cases
of wrongful conviction. Recognizing the sensitive nature of the study,
the researchers initially contacted victims through third parties, such
as district attorneys' offices and innocence commissions that had
pre-existing relationships with the victims. They also used what is
called 'snowball sampling,' meaning they worked with participating
victims and stakeholders to reach out to crime victims in other cases of
wrongful conviction and to identify service providers, law enforcement
officers, prosecutors, attorneys and family members who supported
victims during the exonerations."
View the Report
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