Thesis
Individuals exonerated from crime: impact of education about exoneration, exoneree race, and eyewitness accuracy
Master of Science (M.S.), Drexel University
Mar 2024
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17918/00001942
Abstract
A wrongful conviction is arguably one of the gravest injustices of the United States criminal legal system. In addition to the injustice of being wrongfully deprived of their liberty, exonerated individuals may continue to face stigma upon their return to the community. Such stigma is often attributed to the public's misunderstanding of what it means to be wrongfully convicted or exonerated, associated with the belief that exonerated individuals are still guilty in the same way that convicted offenders are. However, emerging research has suggested that exposure to educational material about wrongful convictions and exonerations may positively influence the public's perception of exonerees. This study surveyed the general public (N = 317) to examine whether its perceptions of exonerees could be better understood and possibly improved through exposure to education about wrongful convictions and exonerations, as well as if perceptions were influenced by exoneree race and the nature of eyewitness identification accuracy. Results indicated that educational material, exoneree race, and eyewitness identification accuracy had no significant impact on participants' perceptions of exonerees. However, contrary to prior research reflecting the stigmatization of exonerees, the majority of this study's participants endorsed relatively neutral perceptions of exonerees. These results suggest that factors beyond the scope of educational interventions may play a role in the formation of societal attitudes towards this group, potentially including a broader societal shift towards a more nuanced understanding of the criminal legal system and its fallibilities.
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Details
- Title
- Individuals exonerated from crime
- Creators
- Tierney Kathryn Marie Huppert
- Contributors
- Kirk Heilbrun (Advisor)
- Awarding Institution
- Drexel University
- Degree Awarded
- Master of Science (M.S.)
- Publisher
- Drexel University; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Number of pages
- ix, 71 pages
- Resource Type
- Thesis
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- Psychological and Brain Sciences (Psychology); College of Arts and Sciences; Drexel University
- Other Identifier
- 991021867614804721