Do the wrongfully convicted face employment discrimination similar to actual offenders?

Abstract

While the number of exonerations in the United States continues to increase, little research has examined the challenges underlying exonerees’ reintegration into society. Given that exonerees are stigmatized similarly to ex-offenders (Clow & Leach, 2015) and that ex-offenders face discrimination when applying for jobs (Ahmed & Lang, 2017), the current study tested whether exonerees face similar job discrimination despite their innocence. Experienced hiring professionals (N = 78) assessed an applicant who was described as either an exoneree, an ex-offender, or as having no criminal history—but whose application with otherwise identical. Although the applications were rated as equally strong overall, the exoneree applicant was seen as less articulate and less competent than the control applicant, and the exoneree was offered a somewhat lower starting wage. Participants also wanted to contact more of the exoneree’s references, and they listed more negative qualities of the exoneree's application. These findings highlight the heightened and unique difficulties often faced by exoneree job applicants. Implications for fair hiring practices and directions for future research are discussed.