Over the past three decades, the rate of exonerations has more than doubled, growing from an average of 24 per year from 1989 through 1999 to an average of 52 per year from 2000 through 2010 (Gross & Shaffer, 2012). While significant strides have been made to identify and assist wrongfully convicted individuals in gaining their freedom and transitioning to life after exoneration, little is known about the experiences of victims during this process. In 2010, the U.S. Department of Justice, National Institute of Justice funded ICF International to conduct an exploratory study examining victim1 experiences in cases of wrongful conviction in order to begin to fill this gap in knowledge. This report documents the methodology and findings from the study, and examines the implications for practice and policy.
Study of Victim Experiences of Wrongful Conviction
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