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 System presents 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.

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