Do exonerees face employment discrimination similar to actual offenders?

PURPOSE-Given that criminal offenders face employment discrimination (Ahmed & Lang, 2017, IZA Journal of Labor Policy, 6) and wrongly convicted individuals are stereotyped similarly to offenders (Clow & Leach, 2015, Legal and Criminological Psychology, 20, 147), we tested the hypothesis that...

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Bibliographic Details
Authors: Kukucka, Jeff (Author) ; Applegarth, Heather K. (Author) ; Mello, Abby L. (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
Published: 2020
In: Legal and criminological psychology
Year: 2020, Volume: 25, Issue: 1, Pages: 17-32
Online Access: Volltext (doi)
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Keywords:
Discrimination
Employment
exonerees
Stigma
Wrongful convictions
Description
Summary:PURPOSE-Given that criminal offenders face employment discrimination (Ahmed & Lang, 2017, IZA Journal of Labor Policy, 6) and wrongly convicted individuals are stereotyped similarly to offenders (Clow & Leach, 2015, Legal and Criminological Psychology, 20, 147), we tested the hypothesis that exonerees – despite their innocence – face employment discrimination comparable to actual offenders.-METHODSExperienced hiring professionals (N = 82) evaluated a job application that was identical apart from the applicant's criminal history (i.e., offender, exoneree, or none).-RESULTSAs predicted, professionals formed more negative impressions of both the exoneree and offender – but unexpectedly, they stereotyped exonerees and offenders somewhat differently. Compared to the control applicant, professionals desired to contact more of the exoneree's references, and they offered the exoneree a lower wage.CONCLUSIONS-Paradoxically, exonerees may be worse off than offenders to the extent that exonerees also face employment discrimination but have access to fewer resources. As the exoneree population continues to grow, research can and should inform policies and legislation in ways that will facilitate exonerees’ reintegration.
Item Description:Literaturverzeichnis: Seite 29-32
Gesehen am 17.01.2023
First published: 6 November 2019
ISSN:2044-8333
DOI:10.1111/lcrp.12159