Exonerated Individuals Face Challenges in Reintegrating into Society and Securing Long-Term Employment

Exonerees Face Ongoing Stigma and Obstacles to Rebuilding Their Lives

HOUSTON — Richard Miles, a Texas exoneree, had a collection of newspaper clippings about his wrongful murder conviction as his resume when he was released from prison in 2009. Despite his efforts, no one would hire him, including warehouses and fast-food restaurants. This painful rejection is familiar to many exonerees, who struggle to rebuild their lives after being wrongfully convicted and imprisoned.

Calvin Duncan, who was elected as the Orleans Parish clerk of criminal court in November, is facing a similar challenge. Louisiana lawmakers sent a bill to the governor's desk on Wednesday abolishing his job, citing government efficiency as the reason. However, Duncan's supporters argue that the move is motivated by biases and stigmas against exonerees.

According to the National Registry of Exonerations, more than 3,800 people have been exonerated in the U.S. since 1989. However, unlike those released on parole or probation, exonerees do not have access to government-provided services such as employment or housing assistance and mental health services.

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The challenges faced by exonerees are not unique to Duncan's case. Jeffrey Deskovic, a New York exoneree, was wrongfully convicted of rape and murder and spent 16 years in prison before being freed in 2006. Despite his efforts to find employment, Deskovic was turned down by many prisoner reentry organizations because they said he was not on parole or probation.

After Innocence, a California-based nonprofit, works directly with exonerees nationwide, helping them to get healthcare and dental services, and providing financial and job counseling and resume prep. The organization also tries to clean up their records to accurately represent what happened in their criminal cases.

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Studies have shown that the unemployment rate for people who were in prison is much higher than the national rate. In 2018, a study by the Prison Policy Initiative found that formerly incarcerated people were unemployed at a rate of over 27%. A 2021 Bureau of Justice Statistics study found that 33% of federal prisoners released in 2010 did not find employment for four years.

Exonerees like Duncan and Miles face ongoing stigmas and obstacles to rebuilding their lives. Miles, who now runs a nonprofit in Dallas that helps formerly incarcerated individuals, including exonerees, rebuild their lives, said that the system is not healing itself. Deskovic, who has started a foundation to help free wrongfully convicted people, said that little has changed since his release from prison when he applied for jobs, including as a doughnut shop worker and a weekly newspaper reporter.

Supporters of exonerees point to Duncan as someone who has rebuilt his life and won elected office but still faces pushback about his innocence and post-incarceration accomplishments. Eldan's organization is working with legislators in several states to provide similar innocence certificates and update exonerees' criminal records.