Children who come to the attention of the juvenile justice system are a challenging and underserved population. The National Child Traumatic Stress Network has developed resources to help juvenile justice professionals understand and provide trauma-focused services to these youth. These resources include tools and materials for building skills and increasing knowledge about childhood trauma to help judges, attorneys, law enforcement, probation officers, frontline residential staff, mental health personnel, and caregivers understand and respond to the needs of traumatized children. In addition to the NCTSN resources highlighted below, Justice System Professionals can learn more about creating trauma-informed Justice Systems in the Trauma-Informed Care section of this website.
Describes how young children, school-age children, and adolescents react to traumatic events and offers suggestions on how parents and caregivers can help and support them.
Defines child traumatic stress. This fact sheet gives an overview of trauma, describes traumatic stress symptoms, and ways children may be impacted.
Details the results of a nationwide survey of probation officers. This survey looks at what probation officers know about trauma, how best to collaborate with them, and what products they would like to meet their needs with respect to trauma-informed practices.
Provides child welfare attorneys with knowledge about trauma, practice tips for incorporating trauma-informed practices into legal representation, and resources to assist in the representation of clients with histories of trauma.
Delineates the path from complex trauma exposure to involvement in the juvenile justice system.
Provides information for staff in residential treatment centers on how to understand behavior through a trauma lens.
Details the importance of a holistic, multidisciplinary, multi-level approach to addressing the needs of youth with complex trauma in residential treatment settings.
Discusses the correlation between victimization and juvenile offending.
Explores both the historical and current causes for disproportionality.
Gives an overview of current issues and challenges for law enforcement and the juvenile justice system in assisting children and adolescents who face commercial sexual exploitation.
Offers information on refugee youth and their families.
Explores the importance, clinical considerations, and approaches to assessing for psychological trauma and posttraumatic stress with youth in the juvenile justice population.