RT Article
T1 The Post Office Scandal in the United Kingdom: Mental health and social experiences of wrongly convicted and wrongly accused individuals
JF Legal and criminological psychology
VO 29
IS 1
SP 17
OP 31
A1 Growns, Bethany
A2 Kukucka, Jeff
A2 Moorhead, Richard
A2 Helm, Rebecca K.
LA English
YR 2024
UL https://krimdok.uni-tuebingen.de/Record/1877474967
AB Background Wrongful criminal conviction can significantly impair the mental health of exonerees. However, much less is known about wrongful accusation: the impact of wrongful legal allegations or investigations—absent conviction—on mental health outcomes. Method To address this gap, we surveyed 101 victims of the Post Office Scandal in the United Kingdom who were wrongly accused, convicted and/or investigated for financial ‘losses’ that were actually caused by software errors. Results Most respondents reported clinically significant post-traumatic stress (67%) and depressive (60%) symptoms—irrespective of the outcome of their case. These results suggest that both wrongful accusation and wrongful conviction can significantly impair mental health. Conclusion Our findings have important implications for victims of the Post Office Scandal and highlight the unique needs of people impacted by flawed convictions and flawed legal accusations. Our findings underscore the need to provide exonerees with holistic postrelease support and demonstrate that this support should also be extended to victims of wrongful accusation.
K1 Wrongful conviction
K1 wrongful accusation
K1 Re-entry
K1 Mental Health
K1 exonerees
K1 British Post Office Scandal
DO 10.1111/lcrp.12247