Secondary Traumatic Stress in the Courtroom: Suggestions for Preventing Vicarious Trauma Resulting from Child Sexual Abuse Imagery

Abstract

The internet and social media have added to an increase in sexual imagery. As a result, law enforcement, judicial officers and court ordered counselors will be exposed to an increase of images. While not every individual will experience post‐traumatic stress symptoms, it is anticipated there is risk for impact. The impact of viewing images can include an increase in vicarious trauma symptoms, burnout, and a possible decrease in impartiality. This paper offers suggestions for self‐care in the services of preventing collateral damage.

Explicit and implicit markers of fairness preeminence in criminal judges

“…Moreover, the resting HRV has also shown sensitivity to expertise and exposition factors 20 . Judges could exhibit resting HRV modulations mediated by top-down mechanisms that rely on exposure to stressful situations and expertise in making complex decisions 44 , 45 . Expertise could promote more regulation of arousal and emotional mechanisms, which allow criminal judges to reject unfair scenarios.…”

Organizational support for the potentially traumatic impact of video evidence of violent crime in the criminal justice system: ‘We’re almost making more victims’

“…Effects of such exposure in police officers and other public safety personnel, for instance, include avoidance of situations that may result in further risk of psychological or physical harm, depersonalization, emotion dysregulation, and hostile, defensive, and enforcement-based approaches to the public (Hofer et al, 2021; Park et al, 2021). In addition, following the example of research on workplace empathy-based stress responses – such as secondary traumatic stress or vicarious traumatization – that arise from indirect exposure to others’ traumatic experiences among the helping and other professions (Brady, 2017; Branson, 2019; Molnar et al, 2020; Pirelli et al, 2020; Slack, 2020), a limited but growing body of research is examining indirect secondary traumatic stressors and their effects in professions or roles within the justice system, such as police officers (Brady, 2017), lawyers (Leclerc et al, 2020; Seamone, 2013; Zwisohn et al, 2018), judges (Edwards and Miller, 2019; Polak et al, 2019), and jurors (Haragi et al, 2020; Lonergan et al, 2016; McQuiston et al, 2019). To this end, the DSM -5 now includes in its criteria for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), indirect exposure to aversive details of the trauma in the course of occupational duties, with specific mention of first responders (American Psychiatric Association, 2013).…”

Technology facilitated re-victimization: How video evidence of sexual violence contributes to mediated cycles of abuse

“…With the advent and exponential technological advances in and access to personal cameras and video recording devices, the criminal justice system has seen exponential growth in the volume of potentially traumatic image-based content and evidence of recorded crimes that now must be managed (Dodge, 2018; Farmand Jr, 2016; Henry and Powell, 2016, 2018; MacFarlane and Keating, 1999; Polak et al, 2019; Sandberg and Ugelvik, 2016; Spencer et al, 2019). This was made clear in the police officers’ statements below:[D]uring any major investigation, we seem to get a lot of sources of video, more than we’ve ever had before.…”