Stress

The Hidden Horrors of Jury Duty

Jurors suffer long after the trial has ended.

Posted March 16, 2015

The right to trial by jury is the only right that appears in both the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.

Despite the crucial role that jurors play in the legal system, as well as the inconvenience and disruption that individual jurors face by being selected, little resources have been dedicated to ensure their wellbeing. This becomes especially problematic if we consider the post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms reported by many criminal trial jurors following their service. These symptoms arise from different aspects of the jury experience, including the following.

Exposure to Graphic Materials

Jurors for allegedly violent criminal defendants can be exposed to graphic testimony and photos, including images of victims, blood, and corpses. Oftentimes, these images would be shown repeatedly over the course of the trial.

Dr. Roger Bell, a psychologist at the University of Louisville School of Medicine, was called by the judge of an alcohol-related traffic accident case involving the death of many teenagers. The jurors had been exposed to graphic pictures of dead students, and were subjected to detailed testimony about how each of them had died. The judge and Dr. Bell described the jurors as "going through terrible agony."

Manifestation of Fear/Avoidance

Because jurors may be given so much disturbing information over the course of a trial, a juror may leave the trial with a much more fearful psyche than when the trial commenced. Jurors have reported avoiding certain locations or triggers that remind them of their jury service. In one study, 29% of jurors reported specifically avoiding doing things that would remind them of their time on the jury.

Burden of Responsibility

Jurors also suffer from the sudden and often overwhelming responsibility given to them in a criminal trial. They recognize that they have the duty to drastically change the outcome of the life of one or more human beings. They fear making the wrong decision, and living with the guilt. Even jurors who believe that they made the right decision -- legally speaking -- may feel sick about the consequences. Jurors for the infamous Casey Anthony trial, for example, reported feeling "sick to their stomachs" and crying after rendering their verdict.

Harm from Isolation

"One of the best ways to alleviate stress and anxiety is to talk it through with somebody else," according to Sonia Chopra, a consultant for the National Jury Project in Oakland, California. "While the jurors are in trial, that's problematic, because they're not technically supposed to talk about anything that happens in the courtroom with anyone. For the length of the trial, they're having to just internalize everything that they're hearing and they're seeing."

Symptoms

Jurors can suffer from a variety of symptoms following a criminal trial. The most frequently reported symptoms are sleeplessness and anxiety. Other symptoms include: stomachaches, headaches, heart palpitations, depression, sexual problems, chest pain, ulcers, elevated blood pressure, intrusive thoughts, and restlessness.

Conclusion

Citizens who have been selected for jury duty should prepare themselves not for only a mild inconvenience (i.e., the usual complaint regarding jury duty), but for a possibly disturbing mental and emotional experience. Furthermore, following trials, jurors should consider seeking psychological help if they were adversely affected by the trial.

On the other hand, judges, attorneys, and the legal system as a whole need to be cognizant of the stress and burden placed on our jurors, and do their best to alleviate any psychological harm a trial could cause. For example, a judge may order frequent recesses to allow jurors to recover from significantly traumatizing parts of the trial. Attorneys may have to use their best judgment to decide whether to show every disturbing, graphic photo, without compromising their duty to their clients. Courts and third parties may consider implementing resources for traumatized jurors.

Thomas Jefferson once stated: “I consider trial by jury as the only anchor ever yet imagined by man, by which a government can be held to the principles of its constitution." Jurors do a lot for us. Let's try to do more for them.

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