James R. Silkenat, president of the American Bar Association, wrote this op-ed for the Chicago Sun-Times. It's well
worth a read. Here's part of it:
...Everyone engaged in the criminal justice system should be trained in trauma-informed practices, beginning with law students. Future prosecutors and defenders can be trained to recognize and respond to child abuse. Law school clinics can give practical experience in working with young people in trouble as a consequence of past abuse.
Our judicial system can also take steps to identify and provide appropriate services for child trauma survivors. Trauma training for judges, lawyers and court staff can change the life of a young person. Instead of simply detaining a minor for an offense, that youth could be diverted into a court-mandated therapy program that could also reduce the risk that he or she will commit a future transgression.
The purpose of our juvenile justice system is not merely to punish. Offenders can be held responsible for their actions and begin the process of rehabilitation through a trauma-informed juvenile justice system that will improve public safety and minimize the cost of detention. Victims of crimes deserve to be protected by our justice system. Sometimes, those victims are the youth offenders themselves.
http://www.suntimes.com/news/otherviews/25527449-452/lets-keep-abused-children-out-of-jail.html
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