Philadelphia courts offer post-trial counseling to help jurors cope with secondary trauma

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Jurors who serve at Philadelphia courts will soon be able to meet with counselors after doing their civic duty.

Jury Commissioner Patrick Martin said he’s been working on the project for about a year. It’s modeled after similar programs offered in several other states.

“While some jurors may feel little to no distress after a trial, some do experience symptoms of vicarious trauma, the emotional toll of being exposed to traumatic events,” Martin said. “The nature of a trial, including sensitive evidence, emotional testimony and the inability to discuss the case with others can contribute to this feeling of distress.”

He added that criminal cases are not the only potentially traumatic juries to serve on, and that civil trial juries will also be included in the program.

“We had the Center City building collapse with the Salvation Army. Those jurors sat for a long time, a few months, and they may have had a look at some photos that were a little bit much.”

Jurors will be offered a business card with a QR code at the end of their service to direct them to counseling.

Martin said the plan is to test this effort in Philadelphia before expanding to West Chester and other jurisdictions for implementation.

“If the numbers are low like we expected them to be and they have the staffing to handle it, we’re going to be opening up to the surrounding counties. So Bucks, Chester, Montgomery County, Delaware County, Berks and others,” he said. “They’re going to have the same advantage that we have, and we’re basically just going to those courts with the playbook so that they can avoid all the pitfalls that we went through over the past year trying to put this together.”

In other locations where jurors are offered counseling, an average of about three to five people a month take advantage of the program, Martin said.

“I’ve had people ask me, ‘Well then, is it even worth it?’ And it’s a very, very simple, ‘Yes it is.’ Because if three to five people a month need it, it’s 60 people a year,” he said. “Yeah, well worth it for us.”