Secondary victims and the trauma of wrongful conviction: Families and children’s perspectives on imprisonment,release and adjustment

Abstract

This paper examines the experiences of secondary victims of wrongful conviction, including the children of appellants and those families suffering bereavement following homicide. Most wives, mothers and children affected by miscarriages of justice continued to suffer from symptoms associated with post-traumatic stress disorder despite the appellant’s quashed conviction and release from the Court of Appeal (Criminal Division). In cases where the victim of crime (where alive) and defendant come from the same family the trauma experienced by the appellant and family can be catastrophic, leading to broken relationships and prolonged trauma. This paper will examine the consequences of families’ victimisation and consider those factors that contribute further to their pain. The article will conclude that most secondary victims continue to suffer from their traumatic experiences and that the children of appellants suffer particularly from the injustice of learning to cope with the wrongful conviction and imprisonment of a parent.