TRAUMA INFORMED COURT PRACTICES – USE OF RESTRAINTS REDUCTION

About the Program

Category: County Administration and Management (Best in Category)

Year: 2016

The practice of automatic shackling conflicts with constitutional presumptions of innocence and counsel, runs counter to rehabilitative ideals of juvenile justice, damages youth-adult relationships, humiliates and stigmatizes young people, and may trigger or worsen existing mental health issues. However, just as in many jurisdictions across the nation, until 2014 Maricopa County had practices that did not differentiate for the necessity of leg and arm restraints for a juvenile court appearance. Consistent with our local efforts to continually improve juvenile justice practices and integrate what we know about the importance of trauma-informed care for youth, the Superior Court of Maricopa County adapted. On March 3, 2014, after nearly two decades of applying mechanical restraints to all detained youth attending court, these practices were amended to further support the spirit and purpose of juvenile justice. The differential response is based on individual need and timely conditions improving values of fairness, dignity and respect while maintaining safety for all. This year we are celebrating a two year milestone of having over 4,600 detained youth attend their court appearance without the restrictive use of mechanical restraints and without major incident or escape.