The Challenge Correctional Systems Face
Among people with serious mental illness involved with the criminal legal system, lifetime trauma exposure is nearly universal (Policy Research Associates, 2011). However, criminal legal system professionals are often not equipped to recognize trauma’s effects—and without that understanding, even routine interactions can escalate, leading to retraumatization, additional charges, or worse outcomes for everyone involved.
Changing that reality requires more than awareness. It requires a trained, prepared workforce, and a system built to sustain that preparation over time.
Pennsylvania’s Story: What the Right Partnership Can Build
PRA’s partnership with the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections (PA DOC) began in 2015 with a single How Being Trauma Informed Improves Criminal Justice System Responses Train-the-Trainer (TTT) session, led by PRA’s Chanson Noether and Travis Parker. That first engagement delivered what every PRA partnership delivers from day one: expert facilitation, a curriculum grounded in peer-reviewed research, and a team invested in transforming their local system.
From that starting point, PA DOC chose to keep building. In 2022, PRA facilitated four statewide TTT sessions. In 2025, with support from SAMHSA’s GAINS Center, operated by PRA, Pennsylvania received an additional statewide training and will receive another in summer 2026. TTT participants spanned every level of the system, including correctional officers, counselors, social workers, supervisors, training academy staff, and partners from the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General, representing interagency collaboration that sustains systems change over time.
Today, PA DOC has embedded PRA’s trauma training curriculum as a required component of recruit training, with ongoing expansion into in-service staff development. Trauma-informed responses are how Pennsylvania prepares its correctional workforce from day one to promote safer interactions.
“PA DOC committed to building something lasting, and our trauma-informed curriculum is now part of how Pennsylvania’s correctional workforce is trained from day one. For over 10 years, we have had the privilege of supporting a system that chose to do things differently, and we are deeply grateful for the trust PA DOC has placed in us to help make that possible.”—PRA Vice President Chanson D. Noether, MA
Part of Something Bigger
PA DOC’s trauma training initiative is part of a broader effort to raise awareness of the impacts of trauma across the state. The initiative is a strategy of HEAL PA—a statewide, multisectoral coalition sponsored by the Governor’s Office of Advocacy and Reform designed to make Pennsylvania a trauma-informed state. HEAL PA is working to implement the Trauma-Informed PA across communities, systems, and sectors. PRA’s training work with the PA DOC reflects the coordinated, systems-level action HEAL PA was established to advance: cross-role, evidence-informed, and built to last.
The Training Behind the Transformation
The training at the center of this work—How Being Trauma Informed Improves Criminal Justice System Responses—is a core offering of PRA’s Systems Mapping and Training Center (SMTC). The 4-hour, highly interactive curriculum walks participants through 6 modules covering:
- Why trauma awareness matters for criminal legal system professionals
- What trauma is and how people experience and are impacted by trauma, including its effects on criminal legal system professionals
- How trauma from decades ago can show up in present-day behavior
- The individualized nature of traumatic experiences, including risk and resilience factors
- A framework to develop response strategies using a trauma-informed lens
- How system-level policies may inadvertently retraumatize people, and what professionals can do about it
Graduates report greater understanding of trauma’s impact and meaningful changes to how they approach their work (Krider et al., 2024). The TTT model goes beyond training delivery by building a cadre of internal facilitators who can carry this content forward, making the training self-sustaining within your system. For court-specific training, judges and other court personnel will find the SMTC’s How Being Trauma Informed Improves Judicial Decision Making valuable. This program is essential for not only understanding the complexities of trauma but also identifying court practices that improve the outcomes and safety of court professionals and people involved in the criminal legal system.
For jurisdictions that want ongoing support, SMTC also offers post-training strategic planning, facilitated sessions, and connections to topic experts.
What Is Possible for Your System
Pennsylvania started with a single training session and grew from there. What made the difference was not the size of the initial investment—it was the decision to start, and to build intentionally over time. It’s an inspiring example of how one initiative can flourish and enhance the practices and conditions of correctional facilities statewide.
Whether you are launching a full TTT initiative or bringing an awareness of trauma’s impacts to your agency for the first time, you will receive the same building blocks as the PA DOC: expert facilitators, a curriculum grounded in peer-reviewed research, and a partner who will co-design solutions that work for your local context. System transformations require intentional implementation, and PRA is equipped to support you at every stage, at a scale that works for your system.
References
Krider, A. E., Ihara, E., Hope, E. C., Noether, C. D., Parker, T. W., & Desmarais, S. L. (2024). A mixed-methods evaluation of a program for promoting trauma-informed responses among criminal legal system professionals. International Journal of Forensic Mental Health, 23(4), 390–402. https://doi.org/10.1080/14999013.2024.2311409
Policy Research Associates. (2011). Evaluation of the CMHS Targeted Capacity Expansion for Jail Diversion Programs: Final report. Delmar, NY: Author.
Briela Tollisen, Senior Communications Specialist
Briela Tollisen is a senior communications specialist at PRA, where she leads visual communications across the firm and its projects—including developing PRA’s public-access suicide prevention safe messaging icons—while strengthening brand identity and ensuring accessibility and compliance with brand standards. She brings fine arts and illustration training from SUNY Oneonta, as well as prior experience as creative director for Autism Asperger’s Sensory Digest magazine.