Wrongful Conviction: the Psychological Cost of a Miscarriage of Justice

In 1963, on his 19th birthday, John Button was charged with wilful murder for the hit and run killing of his girlfriend, which subsequently resulted in a conviction of manslaughter.  Despite serial killer Eric Edgar Cooke confessing to the crime in his final words before he was hanged in 1964, his confession was ignored and John was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment.  He served over five years of hard labour before his release. It took another 35 years for his conviction to be overturned in 2002, when expert evaluation of the crime excluded John's car as the cause of death.

In this presentation, John will share his personal journey through investigation, trial, incarceration, and eventual exoneration, and discuss the enduring psychological, personal, and family impacts of wrongful conviction.  Drawing on his experience and subsequent research into the case, he offers a unique perspective on the human consequences of miscarriages of justice and the lessons they hold for the legal and mental health professions.  John will be joined by his daughter Naomi, who is a child and family therapist, and her husband, Gorden Miles, Clinical Psychologist. 

John’s case is an example of coerced confession, brutal interrogation tactics, intimidation, absence of legal representation while being questioned and a flawed investigation by police to consider any other alternative theories. 

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