The Psychological Consequences of a Wrongful Conviction and How Compensation Statutes Can Mitigate the Harms

The United States has few safeguards in place to ensure exonerees can get back on their feet following their release. Inmates on parole are provided support through reentry programs, but similar networks are unavailable to exonerees. Thirty-seven states and the District of Columbia have compensation statutes, but the remaining thirteen have nothing at all. This paper explores the psychological challenges faced by wrongfully convicted people and provides an analysis of how compensation statutes can be improved to better meet the needs of wrongfully convicted people.