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Using a Trauma-Informed Approach in Juvenile Justice Institutions

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Abstract

Society struggles with mistreated, acting-out youth, vacillating between offering help and punishing. The Supreme Court has recently considered issues of adolescence and brain development when reviewing youth sentences; however, sentencing goals remain a local policy decision. Traditionally, our juvenile justice system follows either a punitive or a mental health model. This article offers a trauma-informed model, arguing that it is consistent with the Supreme Court’s approach and with sentencing goals. It reviews how the trauma-informed model differs from the two previous models, why this is preferable, and how to implement the new model in juvenile justice settings.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Mental Health and Services Policy Program, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Room 1220, 710 N. Lakeshore Drive, Chicago, IL, 60611, USA

    Gene Griffin & Raymond G. Wilkerson

  2. Illinois Department of Children & Family Services, Springfield, USA

    Edward J. Germain

Authors
  1. Gene Griffin
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  2. Edward J. Germain
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  3. Raymond G. Wilkerson
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Correspondence to Gene Griffin.

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Griffin, G., Germain, E.J. & Wilkerson, R.G. Using a Trauma-Informed Approach in Juvenile Justice Institutions. Journ Child Adol Trauma 5, 271–283 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1080/19361521.2012.697100

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/19361521.2012.697100

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