An Exploration of New Zealand Crown Prosecutors' Experiences of Working with Potentially Traumatic Material and Emotions in the Courtroom

The occupational exposure to trauma and its potential impacts among legal  professionals working in the criminal justice system is an area that  has historically been neglected and has only gained traction in recent  years. Crown prosecutors, as a subset of practising criminal lawyers in  New Zealand working with potentially traumatic material (PTM), are  arguably at heightened risk of vicarious trauma (VT) and the need to  engage in emotional labour (EL). The current study qualitatively  investigated New Zealand Crown prosecutors’ experiences of working with  PTM and emotions in their role through three key research questions: 1)  What are New Zealand Crown prosecutors’ experiences of working with PTM?  2) What sort of EL do Crown prosecutors experience, if any, through  working in the criminal courts? 3) What factors in their personal and  professional lives might exacerbate or alleviate VT symptoms? Nineteen  Crown prosecutors from four Crown Solicitor firms across New Zealand  participated in the study. The data was analysed using thematic analysis  to identify recurring themes across datasets. Crown prosecutors  outlined the various negative symptoms they experienced from their  work-related exposure to trauma (VT), as well as the different workplace  and personal factors that both protected and exacerbated such symptoms.  Further, they described routinely and mandatorily engaging in EL to  mask their emotions as a function of their professional duties. EL also  doubled as a protective measure for Crown prosecutors in the  difficulties they faced in their role. These findings add to the growing  body of literature on legal professionals which has preliminarily  indicated they are an at-risk population for the negative impacts of VT  and EL, which can be significant and enduring. More research must be  dedicated to this population to understand the unique etiological  pathways for both consequences of working with PTM and ultimately,  provide empirically-sound recommendations that proactively address these  occupational risks.