Trauma‐Informed Approaches to Juvenile Justice: A Critical Race Perspective

• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1111/jfcj.12052
• Published date: 01 March 2016
• Date: 01 March 2016

Trauma-Informed Approaches to Juvenile

Justice: A Critical Race Perspective

By Shantel D. Crosby

ABSTRACT

Youth of color experience disproportionate juvenile justice contact and recidi-

vism. Trauma-informed approaches may provide important support to these youth

and improve their future outcomes. This paper describes dynamics of the various

levels of the juvenile justice system (i.e., police contact, courts, correctional place-

ment, aftercare) that perpetuate psychological trauma among adjudicated youth of

color. This paper explores trauma-informed approaches from a critical race theory

perspective to address issues of systemic racial injustice in the juvenile justice system.

Current and emerging models for trauma-informed juvenile justice and implications

for practice, policy, and research are discussed.

Key words: trauma-informed juvenile justice, disproportionate minority contact, trau ma-

informed approaches, juvenile justice alternatives.

INTRODUCTION

In 2010, over 1.6 million youth across the U.S., younger than age 18, were arrested

for delinquent or criminal activity (Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Preven-

tion, 2013). On any given day in 2010, there were 69,000 youth either court-ordered to

a residential correctional placement or detained while awaiting sentencing (Sickmund,

Sladky, Kang, & Puzzanchera, 2013). By 2010, delinquency-related youth confinement

had sharply decreased from its highpoint in 1995, dropping 41% across the U.S. (Annie

E. Casey Foundation, 2011). More specifically, crime among African American youth

had drastically decreased as well, as all offenses among this racial/ethnic minority youth

group, including violent crimes, robbery, property crimes, and drug offenses had

dropped by 47% (Federal Bureau of Investigation, 2014).

Shantel D. Crosby is a licensed social worker and a doctoral candidate at the School of Social Work

at Wayne State University. She is interested in the well-being and educational outcomes of court-involved

youth, especially youth of color. She is also interested in mental health services and trauma-informed practice

in child-serving systems, as well as community-based interventions that impact development among youth

in this population.

Juvenile and Family Court Journal 67, No. 1

©2016 National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges

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