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22 Judges/Court Personnel Train in Judicial Wellness and Personal Security at the NJC

By Heather Singer, NJC Communications Specialist

10/20/2008

Faculty and participants alike gave rave reviews of the debut of The National Judicial College’s new Judicial Wellness and Personal Security course, held in September of 2008 at its Reno, Nev., campus.

“I was given the assurance by more than one participant that the stress management activities will be of critical use in their courts and personal lives,” expressed Adam Fisher, of South Carolina, an NJC faculty member for the course and former chair of the NJC’s Faculty Council.

The Judicial Wellness and Personal Security course provided information on a wide range of services and support for state, local, federal and international jurisdictions relating to judicial security. The judicial wellness portion of the course tackled issues such as judicial stress, personal goals and exercise, nutrition and wellness.

“The personal stress issues were particularly rewarding in recognizing that I am not the only one suffering from judicial stress and in learning ways that others have dealt with this kind of stress,” said one course participant,

Participants had a special treat for the personal security portion of the course which was taught by U.S. Marshals whose goal is to instill a greater sense of personal security in our nation’s judges through The National Judicial College. “The participants have a vested interest in personal security,” explained U.S. Marshal John Muffler. “You can see this in the dialogue in the class. We want to assist the judiciary in safety and security in every way we can.”

According to its website, the U.S. Marshals Service, Judicial Security Division is committed to the protection of the judicial process by ensuring the safe and secure conduct of judicial proceedings and protecting judges, jurors and other members of the federal judiciary. This mission is accomplished by anticipating and deterring threats to the judiciary, and the continuous development and employment of innovative protective techniques.

Related Article: The York Dispatch, 10/16/08 "Vow to put bombs under judges' cars triggered raid"

 “I found the course to be quite interesting and thought-provoking,” said participant, Hon. Calvin Hawkins, of Chicago, Ill. “I mainly came here for the court security portion of the course but the interesting dynamic was the component of eliminating stress by dealing with possible insecurities. I hadn’t considered that.”

The course will be offered every other year and is slated again for 2010.