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Address injustice & inequity in the legal system

A history of exposure and/or experiences with trauma and adversity is nearly universally reported among those who interact with the legal system. In addition, the interactions with the legal system (including law enforcement interactions, interfacing with carceral institutions, and court involvement) are often considered traumatic or re-traumatizing experiences by those with lived experience. CTIPP maintains that it is vital for trauma and its impacts to be considered when creating interventions and policies to address harm.

​CTIPP SUPPORTS:

  • Expand training on, awareness of, and responsiveness to trauma among law enforcement, court personnel, attorneys, judges, carceral settings, and other entities that interface with the legal system

    • Require entities that come into contact with individuals who become system-involved to have at least one person trained in trauma-informed, survivor-centered practices

    • Require law enforcement and others who work to provide services for alleged crime victims to receive trauma-informed sensitivity, interviewing, and investigation training

  • Provide education on the nature and impact of, as well as effective recognition and responses to, firsthand and vicarious/secondary traumatic stress as well as post-traumatic stress commonly experienced among those who work within the legal system

  • Minimize practices that lead to institutional trauma, violence, brutality, and inappropriate incarceration (E.G., the use of restraint and seclusion, especially among pregnant people, people with developmental/intellectual disabilities, etc.)roaches

  • Expand restorative justice opportunities and provide alternatives to incarceration

  • Acknowledge and address the disproportionate involvement of BIPOC

  • Enhance cross-sector collaboration to provide preventative and supportive services and interrupt intergenerational cycles of trauma and violence as well as disrupt the school-to-prison pipeline

  • Promote successful re-entry among people involved with the legal system (e.g., mental health counseling, vocational/educational and employment services, financial supports, etc.)

  • Expand programs for children and families of parents who have been incarcerated

  • Increase the presence and utilization of problem-solving courts and pre-arrest/pre-trial diversion programs

  • Require lawyers, judges, court, administrative staff, and other members of the legal system’s workforce to engage in training related to the nature and impact of trauma as well as trauma-informed approaches

  • Create opportunities for deeper collaboration, cross-sector integration, and referral pathways to increase access to support among individuals, families, and the workforce who interface with the legal system

  • Provide education and supports for court personnel, judges, attorneys, and other members of the legal system’s workforce to identify and manage their own direct and vicarious/secondary trauma and stress

  • Support and fund the establishment of trauma-informed and trauma-responsive policies, protocols, and physical environments in agencies, organizations, and institutions within the legal system

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