Stress, Trauma, and Wellbeing in the Legal System

All individuals face stress in their daily lives, but this is often particularly true for those who enforce the law, administer justice, or are forced into the legal system. Uncontrolled strain can result in negative behaviors, burnout, risk-taking, and physical and psychological symptoms ranging from colds to depression and suicide. This, in turn, can have a dramatic impact on the functioning of the legal system as a whole. On the other hand, contact with the legal system has the potential to promote wellbeing for many individuals, such as victims who feel that justice has been served and jurors and judges who feel they have helped preserve the integrity of the legal system. Stress, Trauma, and Wellbeing in the Legal Systempresents theory, research, and scholarship from a variety of social scientific disciplines and offers suggestions for those interested in exploring and improving the wellbeing of those who are voluntarily (police, probation officers, civil plaintiffs, lawyers, judges, court staff) or involuntarily (jurors, criminal defendants, witnesses, children, the elderly) drawn into the legal system. This comprehensive volume is an invaluable resource for those intersested in protecting the wellbeing of individuals in the legal system, particularly criminal justice professionals, judges, attorneys, forensic psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, researchers in psychology, criminology, and sociology, and students in each of these areas.

Monica Miller, J.D., Ph.D., is Associate Professor with a split appointment between the Criminal Justice Department and the Interdisciplinary Ph.D. Program in Social Psychology at the University of Nevada, Reno. Dr. Miller also an adjunct faculty at the Grant Sawyer Center for Justice Studies and a Faculty Associate for the Women's Studies Program.

Brian H. Bornstein, Ph.D., M.L.S., is Professor of Psychology and Courtesy Professor of Law at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, where he serves as Associate Director of the Law and Psychology Program. Dr. Bornstein is co-editor of the journal Psychology, Crime & Law.

Series Foreword
Preface
Hon. Celeste Bremer
Acknowledgments
About the Editors
Contributors

Section I: Introduction to Stress and Wellbeing in the Legal System

1. Stress, Trauma, and Wellbeing in the Legal System: An Overview
Monica K. Miller and Brian H. Bornstein

2. Using the Law to Enhance Wellbeing: Applying Therapeutic Jurisprudence in the Courtroom
Lorie L. Sicafuse and Brian H. Bornstein

Section II: Victims, Witnesses, and Other Lay Participants

3. Domestic Violence Victims' Experiences in the Legal System
Lisa Goodman and Deborah Epstein

4. The Legal System Experiences of Children, Families, and Professionals Who Work with Them
Vicky Weisz, Sarah J. Beal, and Twila Wingrove

5. Child Witnesses' Experiences of Distress in Criminal Court: Sources, Consequences, and Solutions
Elizabeth Rush, Jodi A. Quas, and Bradley D. McAuliff

6. Civil Plaintiffs, Trauma, and Stress in the Legal System
Mary White Stewart and Steven M. Wood

7. The Experiences of Older Adults in the Legal System
Edie Greene and Sheri C. Gibson

Section III: Legal Professionals

8. Stress and Cardiovascular Disease in Law Enforcement
Warren D. Franke and Sandra L. Ramey

9. Stressors Experienced by State and Federal Probation Officer
Risdon N. Slate and W. Wesley Johnson

10. A Stressful Profession: The Experience of Attorneys
Krystia Reed and Brian H. Bornstein

Section IV: Legal Decision Makers: Judges and Jurors

11. The Experience of Jurors: Reducing Stress and Enhancing Satisfaction
Monica K. Miller and Brian H. Bornstein

12. Judicial Stress: A Topic in Need of Research
Jared Chamberlain and James T. Richardson

Section V: Conclusions and Future Directions

13. Stress, Trauma, and Wellbeing in the Legal System: Where Do We Go from Here?
Brian H. Bornstein, Gwen Hullman, and Monica K. Miller