Champaign County Courthouse Introduces Complimentary Therapy Sessions for Jurors

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URBANA, Ill. (WCIA) — Receiving a jury duty summons in the mail can trigger significant stress, and for some, the experience can even be traumatizing. Champaign County judges have taken note of this impact on jurors.

In an effort to address these concerns, the Champaign County Courthouse is now providing free therapy sessions for jurors at the conclusion of a trial.

Central Illinois National Guard units under federal command in Chicago have been involved in this initiative.

“After completing their jury service, if jurors experience stress or anxiety stemming from the trial or deliberations, they are eligible to speak with a counselor at no cost,” explained Randy Rosenbaum, the Presiding Judge of Champaign County.

Jury duty is not a choice, nor are the emotional effects it may have. Judge Rosenbaum initiated this program after recognizing the critical need for support firsthand.

So, he started talking with social workers and doing his own research. He found a reason why some jurors could be struggling.

“Vicarious trauma really is secondary trauma. You don’t undergo the incident, but you hear about it. It could be because of the case that they’re hearing, with horrific facts. It could be that the jury deliberation got kind of mean and nasty,” Rosenbaum said.

He added that jury duty is a good experience most of the time.

“They get to help resolve disputes, they hear about the community, and they feel that they’ve provided some wonderful service,” Rosenbaum shared.

However, it’s not always the case.

“I had a jury trial where the charges involved a particularly brutal rape and kidnaping situation,” Champaign County Circuit Judge, Roger Webber, said.

He added that several jurors told him that listening to testimonies was traumatizing. Webber said that part of a judge’s instructions to jurors is to not talk about a case with anyone until it’s over to prevent outside influence.

“One of the jurors in particular said this was really, really difficult case for them. She felt traumatized, and then had to just suffer in silence,” Webber shared.

While not every case is like that, Webber said that offering therapy to jurors is the least they could do for their outstanding service.

“If we can provide a way to help them process it, deal with it, and get over it. I think that’s something we owe them,” Webber said.

Katie Martin Therapy will be providing the free 30-minute sessions. The program starts next week.

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Champaign County Courthouse Introduces Complimentary Therapy Sessions for Jurors

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Champaign County Courthouse Introduces Complimentary Therapy Sessions for Jurors

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