Official wants state to offer juror therapy
Courtscases cause issues for some
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By Jay F. Marks
Published: October 6, 2008
Rampant drug use. An illogical vendetta. Senseless violence, taken to extremes.
A jury of 12 Oklahoma County residents spent nearly three weeks dealing with those issues during the trial of Gilbert Ray Postelle, who was convicted in the 2004 killings of four people.Advertisement
Post-trial programs
Jurisdictions in several states have post-trial debriefing programs meant to help jurors confront the emotions that emerged during their service. Texas passed a law last year providing up to 10 hours of counseling for jurors.
Even though there are no programs in Oklahoma, District Judge Ray Elliott said most criminal judges in Oklahoma County talk to jurors after a trial so they can express their feelings or ask questions.
"I think it works,” he said.
Being prepared
Oklahoma City attorney Cynthia Viol, who specializes in sex crimes, the kind of cases that often include disturbing testimony, said she does not think any kind of post-trial counseling is necessary if the jurors are adequately prepared in advance.
Viol represented an Oklahoma City man accused of child rape in an October 2006 trial that included a homemade videotape of the man having sex with a young boy.
One member of the jury that convicted Viol’s client ended up in counseling.
"In my opinion, it is a problem that should be addressed before the presentation of evidence during voir dire in difficult cases — not after the verdict is rendered,” Viol said.
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