Reducing Trauma

Studies show that many defendants, victims, and witnesses have histories of trauma; striving to reduce that trauma is central to our work.

Trauma-informed care—practices designed to identify and treat the symptoms of trauma—is critical to meeting the needs of those involved in the justice system. Recognizing this, the Center’s operating programs and national training and technical assistance are rooted in trauma-informed approaches. Specifically, we train staff working in courts on trauma and its impacts, design courtroom practices to create a sense of safety, and help communities to better understand the impacts of trauma and prevent future crime.

A number of our initiatives also focus on specific populations affected by trauma, including Make it Happen, which works with young men who have experienced violence; the Child Witness Support Program, which offers trauma-informed services to children and adolescents; and the Strong Starts Court Initiative, which supports Family-Court-involved infants and their families.

On 'New Thinking,' an audio portrait of our Make It Happen program.

Initiatives

  • Bronx Child Trauma Support

    Bronx Child Trauma Support provides trauma-focused services to young people who have been exposed to violent crime.

  • Make It Happen

    Make It Happen helps young men between the ages of 16 and 24 who have experienced violence acquire the tools necessary to overcome traumatic experiences.

  • Strong Starts Court Initiative

    The Strong Starts Court Initiative is a Family-Court based, specialized, intergenerational collaborative approach to handling abuse and neglect cases involving children birth to three years of age.

Publications & Digital Media

  • Publication

    Plenty of Science, Not Enough Passion: Accelerating the Pace of Felony Decarceration

    Our knowledge about what works and what doesn’t in the field of justice reform has grown significantly in recent decades, but our willingness to pilot new initiatives has not kept pace. Through a focus on a pioneering New York City court, this article argues alternative-to-incarceration programs should follow the research and open participation to more charges, including violent ones, and seek to address a wider array of needs.

    Reducing Trauma, Reducing Violence
  • Publication

    Fact Sheet: Bronx HOPE

    Bronx Heroin Overdose Prevention and Education (HOPE), a new initiative of Bronx Community Solutions, addresses substance use issues with a harm-reduction model at the precinct level. By giving clients the option of accessing community services instead of appearing in court, Bronx HOPE gives Bronx residents the opportunity for rehabilitation and connection to community rather than jail or options that don’t address the underlying issues.

    Reducing Trauma, Rethinking Incarceration
  • Publication

    Fact Sheet: The Bronx Community Justice Center

    The Bronx Community Justice Center works to create a safer, more equitable Bronx through community-driven public safety initiatives, youth opportunity, and economic mobility efforts focused in the South Bronx. Our vision is to support the South Bronx community to become a safe and thriving place where local ownership, community-led investment, and youth opportunity can flourish. The Bronx Community Justice Center works toward this vision by focusing on community safety, restorative practices, and youth and economic development.

    Community Justice, Diversion, Placemaking, Reducing Trauma, Reducing Violence, Youth Initiatives
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News

  • Why Eviction Prevention Is Vital For Justice

    As the nationwide shortage of stable, affordable housing has come into sharp relief, an important question is ringing out in cities and neighborhoods across the country: How can we help people stay in the homes they already have?

  • Common Council to administer over $1.3 million in opioid relief, replace water mains

    March 27, 2024
    The Daily Orange

    Our Westside Community First program is among four nonprofits in Syracuse, New York, set to receive funding from the Opioid Settlement Program, which will administer relief funds towards services for people impacted by the opioid crisis. Westside Community First sends street outreach teams into areas with high rates of drug use to connect people to overdose prevention kits, health supplies, and holistic, trust-based care.

  • Mental Health and Justice: The Manhattan Misdemeanor Mental Health Court

    March 27, 2024
    PLI PLUS

    Far too many people struggling with a mental illness lack the support they need, leading to a host of challenges – from housing insecurity to unemployment – that often drive contact with the justice system. For more than 25 years, the Center has helped build court programs where people with mental health needs can find care and support. This article for the Practising Law Institute profiles the Misdemeanor Mental Health Court we help operate in Manhattan, which provides supportive responses for people with mental illness facing low-level charges.

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