Individuals freed after wrongful convictions confront substantial obstacles to employment and financial stability, even decades after their names are cleared. More than 3,800 people have been exonerated in the United States since 1989, according to the National Registry of Exonerations, yet they remain at a significant disadvantage in the job market compared to the general population.
The challenge came into sharp focus in Louisiana, where a man elected to serve as Orleans Parish clerk of criminal court faced legislative efforts to abolish the position before he could take office. He had served nearly 30 years in prison before his murder conviction was vacated in 2021 after evidence emerged that police officers had lied in court. He was elected in November and had been set to take office on May 4, but Louisiana lawmakers sent a bill to the governor's desk Wednesday that would eliminate the job. Republican supporters of the measure say it reflects a commitment to government efficiency rather than a response to his background.
The situation resonates deeply among exonerees nationwide. Richard Miles, who spent more than 14 years incarcerated before his release and subsequent exoneration, now runs Miles of Freedom, a Dallas-based nonprofit providing assistance to formerly incarcerated individuals and exonerees. When Miles sought employment after his 2009 release from a Texas prison, he eventually found work through a minister at his church. "We're still kind of like looked at as an inmate that did a particular crime. It further deteriorates our ability to believe that the system can heal itself," Miles said.
Employment data underscores the severity of the problem. A 2018 study from the Prison Policy Initiative found that formerly incarcerated people face an unemployment rate exceeding 27%. A 2021 Bureau of Justice Statistics report found that 33% of federal prisoners released in 2010 did not secure employment for four years. The national unemployment rate in March was 4.3%.
A critical difference exists between exonerees and those released on parole or probation: exonerees lack access to government-provided services including employment assistance, housing support, and mental health care. Jeffrey Deskovic, who was wrongly convicted of rape and murder in Peekskill, New York, and spent 16 years in prison before his 2006 release, said reentry organizations initially rejected him. "I was turned down by many prisoner reentry organizations because they said, 'Look, you're not on parole, you're not on probation,'" Deskovic said.
Jon Eldan, founder and executive director of After Innocence, a California-based nonprofit, acknowledged the pervasive stigma. "Even if they are seen as somebody who is exonerated, there is still a stigma as somebody who has been in prison," he said. After Innocence works to connect exonerees with job training, housing, and health services, and assists in clearing their criminal records.
Deskovic used compensation he received to establish the Deskovic Foundation, which helps free wrongfully convicted people. He later earned a law degree to represent them in court. He noted that little has changed for exonerees seeking employment since his own struggles years ago, when he applied for positions including doughnut shop worker and newspaper reporter without success.
Delaware has taken a step forward with legislation supported by After Innocence that provides compensation for wrongful imprisonment, housing assistance, food benefits, health and dental insurance, and a state certificate of innocence. Eldan said his organization is working with several other states, including California and New Mexico, to establish similar protections. "But it's hard to write into a statute, something that actually translates into real benefit for these people," Eldan said. "It's not because the state is bad, but because the state just is not particularly good at delivering those services."
