Judges' Perspectives on Stress and Safety in the Courtroom: An Exploratory Study

Flores, David; Miller, Monica K.; Chamberlain, Jared; Richardson, James T.; Bornstein, Brian H.

doi:10.2139/ssrn.998303

Cited by 13 publications

(38 citation statements)

References 1 publication

(1 reference statement)

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“…Although not using a direct measure of VT, Chamberlain and Miller () found that many judges believed the courtroom to be an emotional place and felt empathy for those who had been traumatized. More broadly, many judges believe it is their responsibility to address the needs of jurors (Flores, Miller, Chamberlain, Richardson, & Bornstein, 2008‐9; National Center for the State Courts, ). This suggests indirectly that judges experience empathy for others in their courtroom and thus are susceptible to VT (for review, see Chamberlain & Richardson, ).…”

Section: Judicial Stressmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For instance, general jurisdiction judges experienced higher subjective job performance than other types of judges, such as family court judges. Judges often experience stress due to conflict at work (especially with attorneys), trial interruptions, problems with infrastructure, perception of inequity and experience overload of responsibility—signs of burnout (Chamberlain & Miller ; Flores et al., 2008‐9; Lustig et al., )…”

Section: Judicial Stressmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Judges are exposed to stressors that are unique to the judiciary but are not directly captured by the stress measures just discussed. General work‐related stressors can include heavy caseloads, a sense of isolation in the job, death threats and threats of physical violence from defendants and court participants, and a lack of appropriate and reliable safety measures in the courthouse (Chamberlain & Miller, ; Flores et al., 2008‐9; Resnick et al., ). There are additional stressors that occur throughout the course of a trial.…”

Section: Judge‐specific Stressorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…There are additional stressors that occur throughout the course of a trial. For example, judges might experience stress from the presentation of graphic or gruesome testimony and evidence (Flores et al., 2008‐9), from dealing with rude or inconsiderate counsel and pro se litigants (Resnick et al., ), as well as from continuously having to make legally binding decisions that will have severe consequences for defendants, victims, families, and future legal proceedings (Chamberlain & Miller, ). These stressors can result in a variety of negative outcomes for judges, both personally and professionally.…”

Section: Judge‐specific Stressorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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An Assessment of Judges’ Self‐Reported Experiences of Secondary Traumatic Stress

Edwards¹,

Miller²

2019

Juvenile Family Court J

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Many judges experience occupation‐specific stress, such as secondary traumatic stress (STS), burnout, compassion fatigue, and vicarious traumatization. A content analysis of 762 judges’ open‐ended responses to a survey asking whether they had suffered from STS revealed that judges moderately experienced most types of stress. Some case types (e.g., family court) and some job aspects (e.g., gruesome evidence) were particularly stressful. Judges reported both positive (e.g., social support) and negative (e.g., distractions) coping mechanisms. Interventions should be tailored to judges’ characteristics, (e.g., gender), job (e.g., family court), beliefs (e.g., that STS does not exist), and level of distress.

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Section: Judicial Stressmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Judicial Stressmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Judge‐specific Stressorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Judge‐specific Stressorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

An Assessment of Judges’ Self‐Reported Experiences of Secondary Traumatic Stress

Edwards¹,

Miller²

2019

Juvenile Family Court J

Self Cite

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“…Flores, Miller, Chamberlain, Richardson, andBornstein (2008-2009) reported a vulnerability of judges for stress at work. Stress and workload were found to lead to a decrease in production.…”

Section: Work Pressure and Related Factors In The Judiciarymentioning

confidence: 99%

Work Pressure and Sickness Absenteeism Among Judges

Hagen

Bogaerts

2013

Psychiatry, Psychology and Law

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In this study, work pressure in the judiciary is the central theme in a comprehensive model of job characteristics and personal characteristics. The issue of work pressure has increasingly received scientific attention during the last decade. The judiciary is no exception in this regard. This article addresses the above characteristics in terms of their relationships and of their influence on judges' performance, through the incorporation of studies from the Netherlands and several other countries into our theoretical framework (conceptual model). Possible outcomes and their practical implications for the judiciary are formulated on the basis of this model.

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Judicial work and traumatic stress: Vilification, threats, and secondary trauma on the bench.

O'Sullivan¹,

Hunter²,

Kemp³

et al. 2022

Psychology, Public Policy, and Law

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This article reports the results of a survey of judicial officers' exposure to potentially traumatic stressors in a single state in Australia. An online survey was fully or partially completed by 205 serving and retired members of state courts between June and August of 2019. Respondents answered questions in a Yes/No and Likert scale format and provided comments on their experience and recommendations for the future. The survey focused on the prevalence and impact of three kinds of traumatic stress: threats to the person, vicarious trauma, and vilification. It sought to measure prevalence and to identify how different events in the workplace impacted psychological wellbeing and traumatic stress. The overall response rate was 55.3%, with 205 out of 371 judicial officers providing a full or partial response. The results indicated that 61% of respondents had experienced threats of violence to themselves or someone close to them. Three quarters (75.1%) of respondents reported being exposed to events associated with vicarious trauma, and 61 (29.7%) reported symptoms consistent with trauma-related effects. Just over half (52.7%) reported instances of harsh public criticism amounting to vilification. On the Kessler 10 scale of psychological distress 25.9% scored in the "moderate" range, 18.9% in the "high" range, and 9.8% in the "very high" range, much higher than the general population's distress distribution. Respondents also rated the usefulness of current support resources and made recommendation for future resources.

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Judges' Perspectives on Stress and Safety in the Courtroom: An Exploratory Study

Cited by 13 publications

References 1 publication

An Assessment of Judges’ Self‐Reported Experiences of Secondary Traumatic Stress

An Assessment of Judges’ Self‐Reported Experiences of Secondary Traumatic Stress

Work Pressure and Sickness Absenteeism Among Judges

Judicial work and traumatic stress: Vilification, threats, and secondary trauma on the bench.

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