In partnership with Exonerated Nation, Touro University California’s Public Health Program conducted a qualitative study to assess the health status and needs of California exonerees for immediate and long-term support in the fall of 2017.

Why is this project important?

An estimated 2.3 million individuals are incarcerated in the U.S., so one might wonder why we are choosing to focus on the unique experiences of exonerees. We believe that by shining a light on the plight of exonerees, we can also draw attention to the public health problems associated with mass incarceration in the U.S. Anyone incarcerated in the U.S. experiences personal trauma, which also impacts their families and communities. The negative impacts of incarceration on exonerees are exacerbated by having served time for crimes they did not commit. This again points to problems in how the U.S. criminal justice system operates, and we hope that our work with exonerees will not only improve their post-incarceration experiences, but also create networks and galvanize support of new allies to discuss the changes needed to reform the criminal justice system as a whole.