10.7 Summary
- In this chapter, we have explored the benefits of working in the criminal justice field as well as the important considerations related to secondary trauma, vicarious trauma, compassion fatigue, and burnout.
- This chapter has a brief overview on the careers to be considered if you choose to work in this field. Remember, this field has many benefits and can be extremely rewarding.
- The criminal justice field is emotionally taxing on several levels, but also provides meaningful work. Any time someone can support positive impacts being made in someone’s life, makes the work worth it.
- To combat years of unintended stress and trauma, it is important to have an on-going self-care routine to incorporate daily. Ensuring that you keep yourself healthy while working in this field will greatly decrease the chances of doing harm to yourself and others throughout your career.
10.7.1 Key Terms
- Burnout: A physical, emotional, and/or mental exhaustion due to on-going stress, or exhaustion that comes from caring too much for too long
- Case management: The process of referring a supervised individual to trusted community resources so they can get basic needs such as food, housing, treatment, and healthcare met.
- Certified drug and alcohol counselor (CADC): A state board-certified professional who provides substance use counseling only.
- Compassion fatigue: A state that occurs when workers have been overexposed to stressful retelling of stories or experiences and begin to lack compassion and empathy for those they serve.
- Correctional officers: Officers who have oversight of the prison and jail inmate population and work to reduce or prevent any security risks.
- Counselor – a professional with a set of skills to provide evidenced-based practices to support someone in need.
Counselors may provide individual and group therapy along with skill building. Most common court-mandated treatment services provided by counselors include: mental health counseling, substance use counseling, DUI diversion, gambling addiction services, sex-offense specific treatment, domestic violence intervention programming, and anger management. - Forensic psychologist: A specialized psychologist who provides services within the legal system, such as completing psychological assessments and offering expert opinions on a civil or criminal legal matter.
- Licensed nurse practitioner (LNP): A person who holds a degree in nursing and has completed additional advanced training to prescribe certain medications and may work in a variety of settings, including hospitals, community-based mental health programs, residential settings, or controlled environments.
- Mental health counselor: A professional providing treatment to someone with a mental disorder.
- Paralegal: A person who generally assists lawyers with various administrative tasks, as well as legal tasks under supervision.
- Peer Wellness Specialist (PWS): A state board certified professional who has lived-experience accessing mental health services.
- Probation and pretrial officers: People who work for the courts and ensure that a person under criminal supervision adheres to court-imposed conditions of release from custody.
- Psychiatrist: A person who holds a medical degree and is able to diagnose and treat mental disorders, including prescribing medications.
- Secondary traumatic stress: A phenomenon that occurs when direct service providers experience symptoms related to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after hearing others share traumatic experiences.
- Self-care: Deliberate actions and behaviors to enhance mindfulness and well-being.
- Social worker: A person who provides advocacy to address social policies that directly or indirectly impact people with unique needs, marginalization, and barriers.
- Vicarious trauma: When one’s worldview shifts after providing direct care to people who have experienced trauma.
- Victim advocate: A person who provides direct services to victims of crime, often in community settings as a support person, or in the context of court cases to ensure access to victim’s rights, such as notification of hearings.
10.7.2 Discussion Questions
- Where do you look for evidence that the work you do serves a purpose?
- What values do you bring to your work that keeps you engaged?
- What intentional practices will you develop to stay emotionally healthy in this field?
- Laura Van Dernoot Lipsky, in the TED talk linked in this chapter, describes the experience of being unable to enjoy the beauty of a natural area during a family vacation, which she attributed to working in a field associated with high burnout. What self-inventory will you take to recognize signs of burnout?