Keywords
public defenders, stress, criminal law, exploratory study
Document Type
Article
Abstract
The impact of stress on the mental and physical well-being of criminal justice professionals is of critical import for the effective operation of the criminal justice system. While a number of studies have examined various forms of stress among law enforcement and correctional officers, minimal research has examined the presence and impact of stressors among individuals working in the criminal courts. This exploratory study examines whether indigent defense attorneys suffer from occupational stress and secondary traumatic stress. A survey of attorneys from a mid-sized public defender’s office were found to have symptoms of severe occupational stress as well as high levels of secondary traumatic stress. Furthermore, regression analyses indicated that secondary traumatic stress and severe occupational stress had significant negative impacts on attorney job satisfaction. Implications for these preliminary findings are discussed as well as recommendations to limit the negative impacts stress has on indigent defense attorneys.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
https://doi.org/10.21428/b6e95092.bd0b6f19
Recommended Citation
Dotson, Elizabeth; Brody, David C.; and Lu, Ruibin
(2020)
"An Exploratory Study of Occupational and Secondary Traumatic Stress Among a Mid-sized Public Defenders’ Office,"
Journal of Criminal Justice and Law: Vol. 4:
Iss.
1, Article 2.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.21428/b6e95092.bd0b6f19
Available at:
https://research.library.kutztown.edu/jcjl/vol4/iss1/2