Abstract
Being wrongfully accused of criminal offences can lead to serious negative consequences to those wrongfully accused and their families. However, there is little research on the psychological and psychosocial impacts of wrongful accusations. We conducted a systematic literature review to collate the existing literature, searching four electronic literature databases and reference lists of relevant articles. Data were extracted from 20 relevant papers, and thematic analysis was conducted on the data. Eight main themes were identified: loss of identity; stigma; psychological and physical health; relationships with others; attitudes towards the justice system; impact on finances and employment; traumatic experiences in custody; and adjustment difficulties. The psychological consequences of wrongful accusations appear to affect the lives of those accused seriously, even after exoneration or overturning of convictions. Strategies for improving public perception of wrongful convictions should be explored, and specific mental-health systems should be established to support those who are wrongfully accused.
Highlights
There is a wealth of literature on the psychological impact on criminals post-conviction.[1]
There is disagreement about the frequency of wrongful accusations and convictions,[2] a recent study estimated that wrongful convictions occur in 6% of criminal convictions leading to imprisonment.[3]
A wealth of literature has brought into question the accuracy of eyewitness identification,[6,7,8] the potential suggestibility of children, adolescents and vulnerable adults, which can lead to false accusations and false confessions,[9,10] and the use of coercive interrogation causing false confessions under duress.[11]
Summary
There is a wealth of literature on the psychological impact on criminals post-conviction.[1] there is far less research involving those who are wrongfully accused of a crime and later shown to be innocent, most probably because finding truly innocent individuals post-conviction is difficult. In the UK, concern over miscarriages of justice led to the creation of an independent statutory body to investigate claims of miscarriages of justice – the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) was established in 1997.15 In the USA, a non-profit organisation called the Innocence Project is committed to exonerating wrongfully convicted individuals through
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