Trauma, Treatment of

Justice involved individuals appear to have experienced a disproportionate amount of childhood maltreatment and trauma compared to the general population. They also present with significantly more mental health needs and by definition struggle with adapting to social and behavioral norms. Experience of witnessing and involvement in crime, and the criminal justice system itself (e.g., imprisonment), can also often be experienced as traumatic and can add to the overall cumulative impact of trauma within an offending population.

Although trauma is not currently considered a primary criminal risk factor, trauma and crime are inextricably linked, and this entry attempts to explore some of those links in more detail. The entry provides a brief overview of trauma theory and explores the links between trauma and crime, particularly recognizing the ...