Fort Lauderdale, Florida – Jurors assigned to trauma trials, such as the Parkland school shooting, may benefit from post-trial counseling, according to a new study.
In the immediate aftermath of the February 14, 2018 massacre, I heard the voices of students and faculty who were haunted by the horror of that day.
Student Samantha Fuentes said: “Two friends were shot right next to me.
“AR-15 barrels ambushed the classroom,” the teacher told Local 10 News. “I feel a vibration in my chest as the gunshot gets louder.”
“I was shot four times in my right arm, my right lung and part of my ribs. I had surgery on my abdomen.”
We have also heard emotional testimonies from the families of those killed.
“We always hesitate when answering the question ‘How many children do you have?
During the sentencing stage trial, the coroner briefed the jury on their heartbreaking deaths.
“[It]caused an explosion in the skull,” the coroner told jurors, explaining Joaquin Oliver’s fatal injury.
But during the punishment stage, the jury saw something the rest of the public had never seen. The evidence was so raw and sensitive that the court prohibited it from being released to the public. This included autopsies and crime scene photographs.
They also saw surveillance video of Nicholas Cruz shooting staff and students at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School that day.
“This particular case, Cruz’s case, is an exceptional case based on all the horrible facts out there,” said an associate professor of clinical legal education and director of the Miami Law Innocence Clinic at the University of Miami School of Law. One Craig Trocino said. law.
Also consider that the jurors in this case walked the trail of the shooter, seeing the blood-stained hallways and classrooms of the 1200 Building where the shooting took place.
“From the jury’s point of view, they had to see this and absorb and internalize it,” Troccino said. “We’re learning more and more about what’s called secondary trauma these days. Even if they don’t have it now, they will eventually.”
“It’s possible that jurors who witness horrific events in the form of video autopsies, photographs, and testimonies may actually experience PTSD-like symptoms,” said Dr. Dan Bover, director of psychiatry at Memorial Health Care System. There is increasing evidence that
Experts say harrowing cases like this can haunt jurors long after they leave the jury room.
“There’s a lot of trauma, especially in the Parkland trial,” Bobber said. “There is a lot of raw video and autopsy photos and testimony. So those exposed to this can go through very stressful events and develop vicarious trauma.
Lawyers and judges may be used to seeing graphic images, but jurors are not.
“Lawyers only recently started to realize that,” Troccino said. “Back in the early ’90s when I started working as a lawyer, I had to face these things… I couldn’t be emotional. I had to be macho. I had to scrub the dirt off and get back in. field and play, but now I know better.
He adds that there is growing awareness in the legal community about the mental health implications for jurors exposed to emotional testimony and evidence while performing their civic duty.
“Jurors come out of their communities and jobs and go through this process,” he said. “They are not allowed to talk to their family and friends about what is going on…and we need to support them…after the verdict was handed down, they said, ‘This is real.’ If you are feeling this way these are the symptoms and you can call here for help.
If you are worried about mental health, please feel free to contact us. National Institute of Mental Healthhas numerous resources for those in need.
Local 10 News asked the 17th Circuit Court on Sept. 15 whether it plans to offer post-trial counseling to Parkland jurors, but has yet to receive a response.
Copyright 2022 by WPLG Local10.com – All rights reserved.
