Navigating the Free World After Wrongful Conviction and Imprisonment: An Analysis of Narratives

Abstract

Wrongfully convicted men and women are returning home each year in record numbers, yet few are able to access adequate services to aid with their reintegration. The purpose of this narrative study was to explore the range of postrelease experiences of individuals who were wrongfully convicted and imprisoned with non-death sentences in the United States. Literature on the postrelease experiences of individuals who were wrongfully convicted and imprisoned, prisoner reentry and reintegration, and the psychological effects of incarceration informed the study. Purposeful sampling was used to recruit 12 men and women who had experienced wrongful conviction and imprisonment throughout the country. Each participant was interviewed at least twice with the aid of a semi-structure interview guide, resulting in total interview times ranging from 70 minutes to 4.5 hours per participant. An analysis of narratives (Polkinghorne, 1995) was conducted, guided by Miles, Huberman, and Saldaña’s (2014) analytic methodologies for qualitative data. Three themes and 10 subthemes resulted. Among the key findings of the study are: (1) Participants experienced the same practical challenges that other formerly incarcerated individuals encountered; however, most fared better in the long run in regard to employment, housing, and financial independence. The experiences of participants who were released on parole, however, were more like those of the general population of formerly incarcerated people. (2) Stressors related to being imprisoned for a crime one did not commit appeared to be distinct from the stressor of incarceration and resulting life changes. (3) Litigation appeared to be a viable option for wrongful compensation, particularly in states without a wrongful conviction compensation statute or where compensation statutes have prohibitive eligibility criteria. (4) Most participants felt compelled to engage in innocence work, from emotionally supporting individuals affected by wrongful conviction to working alongside policymakers as they advocated for criminal law reform. The findings of this study have implications for social work practice, policy, and research.