Trauma-Informed Interventions for Justice-Involved Youth: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

• In Event: Evidence-Based Crime Policy III

Abstract

The theoretical literature and a robust body of research link childhood trauma with deviant behaviors, delinquency, and even later involvement in the criminal justice system as an adult. Trauma-informed treatment aims to improve outcomes for youth who have witnessed or experienced trauma. The focus is to help youth and their families productively deal with trauma and mitigate the possibility of future trauma or other negative outcomes, such as delinquency. This paper reports on the results of a systematic review and meta-analysis of the effectiveness of trauma-informed treatment programs for justice-involved youth and youth at-risk of delinquency, who have witnessed or experienced some form of trauma. For youth already involved in the criminal justice system, we examined all outcomes from eligible studies. For children or youth at-risk of delinquency, we examined delinquency or highly related outcomes, such as substance use, aggression/violence, PTSD symptoms, impulsiveness, and executive functioning from eligible studies.

Authors

• David B. Wilson, George Mason University

• Ajima Olaghere, Temple University

• Catherine S. Kimbrell, George Mason University