National Amplification Campaign — Life After Justice
National Research Initiative
Nothing About Us Without Us

The National Campaign to Amplify
the Voices of the Wrongfully Convicted.

It's time to claim our narrative — tell our story, our way. The National Amplification Campaign is a first-of-its-kind in depth and scope, survivor-led national survey designed by and for people directly impacted by wrongful incarceration and their loved ones.

"I feel relieved taking this survey as someone could understand what I went through during my trying times." — Anonymous Participant
Amplify Your Voice
1st Of Its Kind
The first survivor-led national survey of this scale and depth
10% Margin of Error Goal
Scientific reliability — so survivor voices are impossible to overlook
$50 Participant Compensation
Your time, insight, and emotional labor matter — and we honor that
True Freedom Means Thriving
Being Released Is Not the Same as Being Free.

Being released from prison does not automatically mean freedom. For many who were wrongfully incarcerated, the harm continues long after release — through trauma, lost opportunities, family fracturing, and systems that offer little to no support for rebuilding.

Our goal is both simple and ambitious: to help survivors and their loved ones not just survive after release, but truly thrive. The data from this campaign helps us design a holistic ecosystem of care that reflects real experiences, real barriers, and real pathways forward.

Too often, decisions about wrongful convictions and reentry are made without listening to the people most impacted. At Life After Justice, we believe survivors and families must be leaders in shaping the solutions meant to serve them.

By collecting survivor-reported data nationwide, this campaign ensures that programs, policies, and reforms are guided by truth and lived experience — not assumptions. It is how we reclaim the narrative, build accountability, and shape what comes next.

People closest to the harm are rarely asked the most important questions: What do you actually need? What helped? What would real freedom look like for you? At Life After Justice, we believe those closest to the problem are also closest to the solution.

How Our Research Is Different
Our Research Does Not Treat People as Subjects. It Treats Them as Leaders.
What We Examine

The Full Human Experience

  • What life looked like before wrongful incarceration
  • How legal, social, and economic systems contributed to harm or protection
  • The long-term effects on individuals, families, and communities
  • What support is actually needed to rebuild and thrive after release
Turning Research Into Action

Research Is Not an Endpoint. It Is the Foundation.

The data we collect directly informs:

  • Advocacy and data-driven strategic litigation
  • Mental health and wellness programs
  • Reentry and long-term support initiatives
  • Policy reform at local, state, and federal levels
Why Scale Matters

Proof That Cannot Be Ignored

Our goal is to reach a sample size large enough to produce findings within a 10% margin of error — ensuring the data reflects the experiences of the innocence community with scientific reliability. At this level of survivor-reported data, institutions can no longer overlook what survivors are telling us.

The Impact

Strengthening the Innocence Community

  • Strengthen survivor-led advocacy and access to support nationwide
  • Inform more effective programs, funding priorities, and policy reforms
  • Reduce the risk of future wrongful convictions by addressing proven failures
  • Support long-term stability for people and families harmed by injustice
When lived experience becomes data, it becomes proof — and proof drives lasting change.
National Amplification Campaign — Life After Justice
How Participation Works
Five Steps to Amplify Your Voice.

These numbers have names. Yours could be one. Every response brings us closer to data that cannot be ignored.

Sign Up Today
1

Complete a Short Sign-Up Form

This helps us confirm eligibility and send you a secure, personal survey link.

2

Receive Your Private Survey Link

Within 3–5 business days. The link is unique to you and protects the confidentiality of your responses.

3

Take the Survey When You're Ready

Find a quiet, comfortable space. The survey takes about 30–60 minutes. You can pause at any time and your responses will be saved automatically so you can return later using the same link.

4

Receive $50 Compensation

Your time, insight, and emotional labor matter — and we honor that.

5

Your Responses Are Confidential & Anonymous

Your privacy and safety are a top priority. All responses are confidential and anonymous, and your personal information is never shared. You may also skip any question you are not comfortable answering.

Frequently Asked Questions
Everything You Need to Know.
What is the National Amplification Campaign?
The Amplification Campaign is the first-of-its-kind in depth and scope survivor-led national survey designed by and for people directly impacted by wrongful incarceration and their loved ones. This groundbreaking initiative gathers survivor-reported data to build better programs, shape more responsive policy, and support healing and justice rooted in lived experience.
Who is the survey for?
This survey is for individuals who have been wrongfully convicted and incarcerated in the U.S., and loved ones who have been directly impacted by that wrongful incarceration. Loved ones include family members, partners, close friends, or caregivers who supported the wrongfully convicted person before, during, or after wrongful incarceration. This survey is not for organizations or advocates. We welcome you in helping to share this with those who were directly impacted.
Why does this matter?
Wrongful incarceration is more than time lost — it is trauma endured, opportunities stolen, and families deeply affected. Yet there has never been a national study of this scale that centers the real experiences and needs of this community. This campaign creates space for survivors and families to tell their stories in their own words and on their own terms — turning lived experience into evidence that can no longer be ignored.
What will the survey help accomplish?
The data collected will be used to inform future policy and legislative reform, strengthen advocacy and strategic litigation, design and improve mental health and reentry programs based on what survivors actually need, document the full impact of wrongful incarceration on individuals and families, and build an evidence-based case for increased funding and systemic change.
What makes this research different?
This research is grounded in Participatory Action Research (PAR) — meaning it is conducted with and by survivors, not on them. The survey was developed under the leadership of LAJ's Research Committee, which is led by individuals who were wrongfully incarcerated. Impacted individuals are meaningfully involved throughout the research process — from design to interpretation of findings. The goal is not just to document harm, but to drive solutions shaped by lived experience.
Why is the survey longer and reflective?
We know this survey takes time — and we designed it that way with care. Capturing the full impact of wrongful incarceration on individuals and families requires space for reflection and detail, not just a few quick questions. The survey is designed to be completed in one sitting whenever possible, but your personal survey link will save your progress automatically so you can return and continue where you left off. You may also skip any question you are not comfortable answering. Your well-being always comes first.
The National Amplification Campaign
Core Research Team

The goal is not just to document harm, but to drive solutions shaped by lived experience. Meet the survivors leading this work.

Anna Vasquez
Core Research Team
Anna Vasquez
Sean Ellis
Core Research Team
Sean Ellis
Obie Anthony
Core Research Team
Obie Anthony
Ricky Kidd
Core Research Team
Ricky Kidd