Miscarriages of justice in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand: mental health outcomes and life experiences of wrongfully convicted and accused individuals.

Bethany Growns, Hayley Cullen, Gemma Harris, Grace Wissmann, Celine van Golde, Peter Gogarty, Xanthe Mallett

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Article in Australian journal of psychology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Bethany GrownsSchool of Psychology, Speech and Hearing, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6665-8134

Hayley CullenSchool of Psychological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0406-4912

Gemma HarrisSchool of Psychology, Speech and Hearing, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand.

Grace WissmannSchool of Psychological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia.

Celine van GoldeSchool of Psychology, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia.

Peter GogartyJustice Clinic, School of Law and Justice, University of Newcastle, Newcastle, Australia.

Xanthe MallettJustice Clinic, School of Law and Justice, University of Newcastle, Newcastle, Australia.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Objective: Miscarriages of justice-such as wrongful conviction, false accusation, and investigation-have serious psychological and social impacts. While most research in this area originates in the US and UK, little is known about outcomes in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand. Method: This study examined the mental health and social experiences of people who have experienced miscarriages of justice in these countries, and compared these results with larger-scale studies from the US and UK. Respondents completed measures of PTSD, depression, anxiety, stress, social support, and posttraumatic cognitions. Results: Our results revealed worryingly high rates of mental health problems: more than half (54.55%) reported clinically significant PTSD symptoms, and many (45.45%) also reported clinically significant depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms. These rates were also comparable to US exonerees and victims of the United Kingdom Post Office Scandal. Conclusions: These findings highlight the severe, multifaceted effects of miscarriages of justice and underscore the need for improved mental health support, compensation, reintegration services, and systemic reform.

Indexed as

Exonereesfalse accusationmental healthre-entrywrongful conviction

Identifiers

PMID41624174

DOI10.1080/00049530.2025.2610883

PMCPMC12854214

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LicenceCC BY-NC

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