A Critical Review of Judicial Professionals Working Conditions’ Studies

Abstract

The article presents a comprehensive critical review of the empirical literature on judges and public prosecutors’ working conditions in different disciplinary areas from the last 40 years, identifying studies’ characteristics and key results. Although judicial professionals are recognised as having a highly demanding working environment and are one of the groups most vulnerable to occupational stress, studies on this subject are scarce and relatively new. These can be divided into two distinct categories: psychology research studies centred on psychosocial risks and professional stress and burnout; and studies in the field of the sociology of law on questions such as job satisfaction and organisation of work. This review aims to highlight the increasing importance of pursuing studies on the working conditions of professionals responsible for delivering justice with quality and guarantees for all citizens. Without proper and high-quality judicial working conditions the probability increases of having a malfunctioning judicial system delivering poor decisions.