Erin Reilly Lee vividly recalls a haunting moment nearly three decades ago during the Thomas J. Capano murder trial in Delaware when she, a juror, attempted to climb into a cooler that had been used to store the victim’s body. The episode proved pivotal in casting doubt on testimony by Capano, a wealthy lawyer accused of murdering Anne Marie Fahey, a 30-year-old scheduling secretary. Lee’s experience underscored the intense emotional burden jurors can face, a reality experts say is often overlooked.
The Capano trial, which ended with his conviction in 1999, remains a stark example of the psychological pressures jurors endure, particularly in cases involving graphic or traumatic evidence. Lee described the sensation inside the cooler as “a darkness that I’ve never felt or known,” a feeling that stayed with her long after the trial concluded.
More recently, the case of Lindsay Clancy in Massachusetts has renewed attention on the stresses jurors face. Clancy, charged with the strangulation deaths of her three young children, underwent a high-profile trial that ended in a mistrial after jurors failed to reach a unanimous verdict. Several jurors publicly spoke about the emotional toll, especially in response to disturbing evidence such as a traumatic 911 call made by Clancy’s husband, Patrick, who found his paralyzed wife and their children deceased in their home.
Experts note that the emotional strain jurors experience goes beyond rare, violent cases. Jawwaad Johnson, director of the Center for Jury Studies at the National Center for State Courts, said all jurors face some level of stress, from “summons anxiety” caused by potential disruptions to daily life to exposure to distressing testimony. Research reviewed in 2016 found that up to half of jurors reported trauma-related symptoms, sometimes lasting months.
Jurors may also encounter isolation, both psychological and physical, especially during sequestration or prolonged deliberations. Monica Miller, a judicial studies professor at the University of Nevada, Reno, explained that the pressure felt by holdout jurors during intense deliberations can be immense and that mistrials may shake confidence in the jury system itself.
In response to these challenges, some courts have begun implementing support measures. Federal courts have led efforts to provide mental health resources, such as counseling or employee assistance programs. Pennsylvania’s First Judicial District, for example, launched a program offering jurors pamphlets with coping strategies and access to free counseling sessions through a partnership with West Chester University-Community Mental Health Services. Since its inception earlier this year, about two dozen jurors have utilized the counseling service.
Similar initiatives have emerged elsewhere. After the Clancy trial, Massachusetts provided jurors with informational pamphlets and an opportunity to request counseling, a program that is garnering interest from officials in other states seeking to establish comparable support systems.
Despite the emotional difficulties, jurors such as Lee maintain a strong belief in the civic importance of jury service. Lee, who has not been called for jury duty since the Capano case, said she would willingly serve again, underscoring the serious responsibility jurors bear even as courts work to better address their mental well-being.