Today’s episode addresses the issue of vicarious trauma and the invisible toll of forensic work. The author of the source article, Dr. Jaime Hoerricks, explains that the piece was initially written in April 2025 for a forensic science journal in response to a formal call for scholarship on this specific type of trauma but was ultimately declined without comment. Dr. Hoerricks argues that the work provides a situated account of bearing witness to traumatic material repeatedly through technology, often alone, and emphasises a form of mediated trauma absorbed not in the field, but whilst handling and refining evidence. She explores how neurodivergence and non-traditional processing of memory profoundly shape how traumatic material is held, suggesting that institutional support often fails those whose experiences do not fit standard procedural check-ins or talk-based disclosure. Ultimately, she aims to make structurally invisible exposure legible and coherent, calling into question the conventions of forensic publishing regarding trauma.
Here’s the link to the source document: https://open.substack.com/pub/autside/p/first-person-frame-by-frame
Let me know what you think.
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