NCJ Number
205489
Journal
Judicature Volume: 87 Issue: 5 Dated: March-April 2004 Pages: 244-251
Date Published
March 2004
Length
8 pages
Annotation
This article examines a mentoring program that was developed as a way to help judges, particularly new judges, deal with the stress and strain inherent in their work.
Abstract
Newly appointed or elected judges face burgeoning caseloads, backlogs resulting from a time-consuming appointment process, and increasing criminal dockets. In addition, they are abruptly thrust into a leadership position upon taking the oath of office and are expected to operate at peak performance from the first day on the job. At present, no regular system exists for new judges to receive impartial feedback or otherwise obtain constructive evaluations. As such, trial judges report feeling high levels of stress and exhibit strain in various ways, which can have negative consequences for both individual judges and the judicial system by way of reduced efficiency, lack of engagement, and negative behaviors and/or physical symptoms. Little empirical research exists about judicial occupational stress and its negative effects. One solution to occupational stress is to increase the support from friends, family, and co-workers. One method used to provide social support for those in role transition is mentoring. A study was conducted to test the effectiveness of a new mentoring program established at the Federal Judicial Center (FJC) for newly appointed U.S. magistrate judges. The program provides social support to new judges by pairing them with experienced judges. The study compared two groups of new judges who took part in FJC’s New Judge Orientation Course in 2001. Results of the study showed that some reduction of certain areas of stress and strain was observed among mentored judges, while an increase was observed for coping levels. Compared to other occupations, the mentored judges reported significantly lower stress and strain and higher levels of coping than workers of other occupational levels. Gender played a significant role in the reported levels of stress and strain for all of the new judges, with females reporting greater levels of each, accompanied by lower levels of coping, than their male counterparts. Judicial educators should explore the addition of stress-management programs to their curricula, not only to benefit both new and experienced judges but also to improve the justice system by ensuring that it is managed by judges who are productive and effective decisionmakers. 3 tables, 2 figures, and 21 references