Jury Duty: More than an Inconvenience

            For most people, including myself, the idea of jury duty is dreadful. Having to take time off of work and spending hours at the local courthouse with a bunch of strangers is literally the last thing I want to do. Parking downtown can be a drag and the thought of having to sit down in an uncomfortable chair and wait for my name to be called gives my ADHD riddled body the chills. But it gets worse. What if I’m actually picked to be a juror? What if the trial lasts days? Weeks? Dare I say, months? But honestly, I’m probably being a little dramatic. At most, jury duty would be a mild inconvenience for someone like me. But sadly for others, receiving a summons for jury duty can turn a nightmare into a reality.

            Take Sezin Koehler for example. Koehler, an author, witnessed the murder of a close friend and wrote an article about how she had to relive the traumatic event over and over when recounting details to police, legal teams, and the court. After spending years healing from such a horrific experience, she noted that opening a single piece of mail to see a jury summons instantly opened up those wounds. “The simple piece of paper with a jury summons notice was enough to erase every moment of healing I’ve accomplished since then and now,” Koehler wrote. For survivors and witnesses of gruesome crimes, serving as a juror can trigger their PTSD. In certain scenarios, they may have to give a judge more specific information about their experience in order to receive an accommodation.

            Even if you aren’t a survivor or witness to a violent crime, symptoms of PTSD have been reported by many people who have served as a jury member in a criminal trial. In violent cases, some jurors are unprepared to be exposed to graphic testimony and photos and this experience can haunt them for the rest of their lives. For others, the burden of responsibility in deciding someone’s fate and the fear that a wrong decision might have been made can induce feelings of guilt and remorse. Even if a juror feels like he made the right call, he still may be adversely affected by the consequences of his decision. Finally, being sworn to secrecy and being unable to speak about the case with friends and family during the trial can make a juror feel isolated. Bottling up these feelings can put the juror under an immense amount of stress and anxiety.

             

            Although serving as a juror plays a crucial role in the legal system and is a great opportunity to perform our civic duty more must be done to ensure that prospective jurors are adequately prepared for what they may experience during a trial. In order to combat the negative effects that some jurors may experience after a trial, certain courts have considered creating juror support groups consisting of former jurors, expanding post-trial counseling services beyond high-profile cases, and developing juror forums where they can share their experiences. So even though serving on a jury may seem like a waste of time, we need to be more cognizant of the fact that someone’s freedom may be at stake. Making these tough decisions can be traumatic for a juror. Therefore, it's time to improve the juror experience not only during trial, but after as well.