Those who work in juvenile justice, such as judges, lawyers, probation officers, therapists, and social workers, often interact with young individuals who have experienced significant trauma. This exposure can impact their personal and professional lives.
Why It Matters/Implications
For juvenile justice professionals, the impact of secondary traumatic stress can play out in several ways
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Emotional Toll on Professionals
Hearing about and witnessing traumatic experiences on a regular basis can lead to emotional exhaustion which can negatively impact the mental health and well-being of professionals, potentially leading to burnout and reduced job satisfaction.
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Quality of Care and Decision-Making
Professionals in the juvenile justice system make critical decisions that can significantly impact the lives of young individuals. These decisions may involve determining appropriate interventions, placements, or sentencing. Secondary traumatic stress can impair professionals' ability to think clearly, make sound judgments, and act in the best interests of the juveniles they serve. It's important that these professionals maintain their emotional resilience to ensure that they are making informed and compassionate decisions.
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Relationships with Young Individuals
Building positive relationships with young individuals in the justice system is essential for their rehabilitation and well-being. Professionals who are experiencing STS may struggle to establish and maintain these relationships due to emotional detachment, irritability, or reduced empathy, which can impact the effectiveness of interventions and support provided to these juveniles.
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Systemic Impact
The cumulative impact of secondary traumatic stress on juvenile justice professionals can contribute to a broader systemic issue. High turnover rates, reduced job satisfaction, and a shortage of experienced professionals can undermine the overall effectiveness of the juvenile justice system. A workforce that is overwhelmed by STS might struggle to provide consistent and high-quality services to the young individuals under their care.
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Personal and Professional Boundaries
Working in the juvenile justice system requires professionals to navigate emotionally charged situations while maintaining professional boundaries. Secondary traumatic stress can blur these boundaries, leading to emotional over-involvement, frustration, or difficulty separating work from personal life.
What Can Be Done
To address secondary traumatic stress in juvenile justice, it's crucial for organizations and institutions to implement strategies that support the well-being of their employees. Best strategies include a combination of individual, organizational, and systemic strategies, such as:
- Provide regular supervision and debriefing sessions
- Offer training on trauma-informed care
- Promote self-care practices
- Create a supportive work environment that acknowledges the emotional challenges associated with the job.
- Build supports at individual, organizational, and systemic level → think beyond “self-care” and build in supports for workforce
By addressing STS, professionals can better serve the needs of the juveniles in their care and contribute to a more effective and compassionate juvenile justice system.
When you help people you have direct contact with their lives. As you may have found, your compassion for those you help can affect you in positive and negative ways. Use this assessment to reflect about your experiences, both positive and negative, as a helper.
Through years of direct service, Child Advocates has become a subject matter expert in child welfare and advocacy, with notable expertise in training lawyers representing children and families. The Center for Excellence in Advocacy builds off this expertise to develop and deliver multidisciplinary trainings to lawyers, judges, court administrators, social workers, educators, healthcare providers, and other professional and lay caregivers.
Citations for Juvenile Justice
(1) Levin AP, Albert L, Besser A, Smith D, Zelenski A, Rosenkranz S, Neria Y. "Secondary traumatic stress in attorneys and their administrative support staff working with trauma-exposed clients," J Nerv Ment Dis. 2011 Dec;199(12):946-55. doi: 10.1097/NMD.0b013e3182392c26. PMID: 22134453 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22134453/ 
(2) Smith Hatcher, S., Bride, B. E., Oh, H., Moultrie King, D., & Franklin Catrett, J., “An Assessment of Secondary Traumatic Stress in Juvenile Justice Education Workers,” 2011 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3740517/
Acknowledgement
With thanks to the Support Center for Child Advocates (Child Advocates), Center for Excellence in Advocacy for this page content.
Child Advocates provides legal and social service advocacy to children and youth who have experienced child abuse and neglect with the goal of securing safety, justice, well-being and a permanent, nurturing environment for every child. Their training department, the Center for Excellence in Advocacy, aims to improve outcomes for children and families, especially those involved in the child welfare and juvenile justice systems, by improving the practice of those who work with them.
This project was supported by PCCD Subgrant #36804 awarded by the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency (PCCD).. The opinions, findings and conclusions expressed within this publication/program/exhibition are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of PCCD.