Long-Term Criminogenic, Economic, and Health Consequences of Being Wrongfully Convicted: Findings From a Longitudinal Sample

The criminal justice system is premised on the belief that it acts in a fair and just manner and that innocent persons will escape arrest, conviction, and incarceration. During the past couple of decades, however, there has been emerging evidence and high-profile cases showing that this is not necessarily the case and that innocent persons are sometimes processed through the criminal justice system. One of the key questions that has yet to be fully explored is whether those persons who are wrongfully convicted face the same long-term consequences as those who were justly processed through the criminal justice system. The current study sought to address this issue by examining whether there was a connection between being wrongfully convicted and future criminal involvement, economic disadvantage, and health problems. Analysis of data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health) revealed that persons who were wrongfully convicted were less involved in future nonviolent crimes when compared to persons who were rightfully convicted. For all of the other outcomes, though, there was not an association between being wrongfully convicted and criminal, economic, and health outcomes. These results suggest that those who are wrongfully convicted face many of the same deleterious outcomes as those who were rightfully convicted.