Social and psychological issues : do particular conditions of jury service place jurors under special risk of stress and contribute to the need of attention for debriefing?
- 29 June 2004
- Criminology Research Council Sub-Group on Juror Stress and Debriefing Conference
- PDF print version (PDF 143kB)
Abstract
This paper describes factors which have been found to contribute to stress and anxiety in jurors. These include the interpersonal dynamics of rural juries, the reaction of a community to a verdict, and 'traumatic' content of trials. The paper also reports findings from an evaluation of the New South Wales Juror Support Program, conducted in 2001, on some of the issues identified by jurors as contributing to juror stress. Factors associated with jurors being more or less likely to report feeling satisfied about the process, and feeling upset or concerned about jury dynamics or decision, are summarised.