Viewing Behavior Through a Different Lens: Trauma-Informed Care in Detention

About the Program

Category: Criminal Justice and Public Safety (Best in Category)

Year: 2015

Research suggests that upwards of 93% of juvenile offenders report at least one or more traumatic experiences, with the average number of different types of trauma a juvenile experiences being six. Involvement in the juvenile justice system, especially being detained, can re-traumatize or even induce a new traumatic event. Use of room confinement and physical restraint as strategies for managing resident behavior are not only detrimental to traumatized residents; they are counterproductive to the rehabilitation of juvenile offenders. Chesterfield County Juvenile Detention Home embarked on a journey to incorporate a trauma-informed approach into our behavior management program in an attempt to reduce the number of physical restraints, decrease the use of room confinement, increase the rate in which residents participate in daily activities, and ease workplace stress to improve morale and retain dedicated employees. By adopting the principles of a trauma-informed approach into our daily interactions with residents and focusing on our outcomes, we saw our physical restraints decrease by 76.4% over a three year period and a reduction in the use and duration of room confinement as evidenced by an increase in our daily program participation rate. We adopted a new purpose statement to reflect our culture.