Examining Public Stigmatization of Wrongfully Convicted Individuals in Romantic Context

• In Event: Crime, Law and Deviance Section Roundtables
  In Refereed Roundtable (60 minute): 8: Stigma and Moral Panics

Abstract

It is well established in the literature that formerly convicted individuals experience substantial stigma in society, resulting in discrimination across multiple life domains, including online dating. However, little is known about whether the legal exoneration process mitigates stigma toward wrongfully convicted individuals on online dating platforms. To address this gap, the current study employs a vignette-based experimental design with a sample of 717 participants and assesses public stigma towards wrongfully convicted individuals across five dimensions: social distance, negative emotion, danger and distrust, dehumanization, and dispositional attribution. Participants were randomly assigned to one of three vignette conditions: (1) individuals exonerated on new DNA evidence, (2) individuals exonerated when a false confession was disproven in a retrial, and (3) individuals who actually committed the crime. Findings reveal that while exonerees were less stigmatized than actual offenders in online dating contexts, individuals exonerated after their false confession was disproven in a retrial faced significantly higher stigma than DNA exonerees. These results suggest that despite exoneration, the type of evidence shapes public perceptions and may affect exonerees’ prospects for forming new romantic relationships following wrongful conviction. Additionally, across all groups, the dimension of danger and distrust received the highest stigma ratings, suggesting that any history of incarceration, wrongful or not, triggers concern about personal safety in romantic contexts. Social and policy implications are discussed.

Author

• Jafnun Nudrat Jarin, Pennsylvania State University