by Kathryn M. Campbell (Author), Margaret Pate (Author), Nicky Ali Jackson (Author)
This
book exposes the myriad of victims of wrongful conviction by going
beyond the innocent person who has been wrongfully incarcerated to
include the numerous indirect victims who suffer collaterally. In no way
overlooking the egregious effects on the wrongfully convicted, this
book widens the net to also examine consequences for family, friends,
co-workers, witnesses, the initial victims of the crime, and society in
general―all indirect victims who are often forgotten in treatments of
wrongful conviction.
Utilizing interviews of
exonerees and indirect victims, the authors capture the tangible and
intangible costs of victimization across the board. The prison
experience is examined through the lens of an innocent person, and the
psychological impact of incarceration for the exoneree is explored.
Special attention is given to the often-ignored experience of female
exonerees and to the impact of race as a compounding factor in a vast
number of miscarriages of justice. The book concludes with an overview
of the victimization experiences that follow exonerees upon release.
Unique
to this book is its interdisciplinary approach to the troubling subject
of wrongful conviction, combining perspectives from a number of fields,
including criminal justice, criminology, victimology, psychology,
sociology, social justice, history, political science, and law.
Undergraduate and graduate students in these disciplines will find this
book helpful in their respective areas of study, and professionals in
the legal system will benefit from appreciation of the far-reaching
costs of wrongful convictions.
