Supporting the Nation's Judicial System & the Public it Serves

Trauma-Informed Approaches

Judges, court staff, system stakeholders and court-involved persons (defendants, respondents, and victims) alike may be impacted by prior trauma.  This is particularly, but not exclusively, true for those with mental illness and/or substance use disorders.  SJI supports trauma-informed training, policies and practices in all aspects of the judicial process.   


Trauma-Informed Practice Strategy Lab for Criminal Courts (TIPS Lab)

Justice Innovation Inc. (dba Center for Court Innovation) will undertake a strategic initiative to comprehensively support state and local criminal courts’ implementation of trauma-informed practices.


Designing a New Tier of Civil Legal Professionals for Survivors of Domestic Violence

The  Arizona Supreme Court is collaborating with the Innovation for Justice Program at the University of Arizona College of Law, and the State Bar of Arizona, along with  Emerge, a provider of domestic abuse prevention programs in Southern Arizona, and together they have designed the LLA certification program to implement a pilot project that will combine the trauma-informed expertise of the lay legal advocate, with legal training specific to domestic violence-related issues, by training and licensing these lay legal advocates as Licensed Legal Advocates (LLA).

The pilot has received the endorsement of the Arizona Supreme Court’s Task Force on Delivery of Legal Services, and the Supreme Court has authorized a temporary exception to the rules prohibiting the unauthorized practice of law.  LLAs will serve as a new tier of civil legal service professionals and will be equipped to provide legal advice to DV survivors in a variety of cases, such as protective order, divorce, child custody, consumer protection, and housing.