Therapy with exonerated clients: review and recommendations

Abstract

Purpose

The conviction of innocent individuals has emerged as an international concern, resulting in substantial attention to the legal needs that stem from exoneration. However, many other challenges can also arise in the aftermath of an exoneration, including financial, psychosocial and mental health needs. Relatively little has been written about the particular reentry needs of individuals who are exonerated of their charges, and even fewer studies have considered the effectiveness of various treatment approaches. The purpose of this paper is to reviews the available literature, identifies gaps and provides clinical recommendations for the development of treatment interventions for exonerees.

Design/methodology/approach

The research addressing the needs and challenges that arise in the aftermath of exoneration is reviewed and analysed for implications that can guide treatment-planning in this area.

Findings

This paper reviews key finds from the literature and provides recommendations for developing a semi-structured approach to treating exonerees.

Practical implications

Practical applications for the development of effective therapeutic interventions for exonerated individuals are identified and discussed.

Originality/value

Currently, there is very limited literature addressing the specific reentry needs and effective therapeutic interventions for exonerated individuals.

Citation

Heilbrun, K., Fishel, S., Lankford, C. and Ratkalkar, M. (2020), "Therapy with exonerated clients: review and recommendations", The Journal of Forensic Practice, Vol. 22 No. 2, pp. 123-135. https://doi.org/10.1108/JFP-02-2020-0004