The Role of Trauma-Informed Instructional Strategies on Educational Outcomes for Incarcerated Youth in U.S. Prisons

• In Event: The School-Prison Nexus: Causes and Effects

Abstract

This study examines the relationship between cumulative trauma exposure and academic performance among incarcerated youth, with the goal of evaluating the relevance of trauma-informed instructional strategies in correctional education settings. Drawing on a 2024 dataset from 212 justice-involved adolescents in U.S. juvenile facilities, the study constructs a composite trauma variable from eight binary-coded trauma indicators, including histories of abuse, displacement, suicidality, and institutional intervention. Thirteen educational outcomes encompassing cognitive functioning and standardized academic performance (e.g., WRAT5 subtests) were analyzed using Pearson’s partial correlations and multiple linear regression, controlling for trauma exposure. The results reveal significant domain-specific relationships: lower spelling and sentence comprehension scores were linked to higher trauma exposure, while general IQ measures were less predictive.

Authors

• Rizwan Shaikh, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi

• James Ikonomopoulos, Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi