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Trauma-Informed Strategies for Juvenile Justice Systems Transformation

The Cook County Model

Bibliographic Data

ID22421019
AuthorsTracy Fehrenbach (0000-0003-4023-7769, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, corresponding author), Amberly Ying (0009-0003-6426-7564, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine), Emily Zheutlin (0000-0002-6406-3241, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine), Kamryn E Reynolds (0009-0007-0942-6824, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine), Cassandra Kisiel (0000-0002-1094-8239, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine), Linzy M Pinkerton (0000-0002-5646-3982, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine), Caleen McGrath (0009-0004-0180-565X, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine), Brian Conant (0009-0003-8705-3462, Cook County Health), Tamela Meehan (0009-0002-5029-4855, Cook County Juvenile Probation and Court Services), Nicole St Jean (0009-0002-9627-5529, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine)
Year2026
Pages1-23
Publication date2026-05-05
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Aggression, Maltreatment & Trauma (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1092-6771 • E-ISSN: 1545-083X
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/10926771.2026.2660182
OpenAlexW7160302667
LanguageEN
References cited17

Trauma-informed care (TIC) in juvenile justice (JJ) settings is often recommended but rarely implemented as a system-wide intervention. This manuscript describes the Cook County Model of system transformation, a trauma-focused model that emerged from an ongoing partnership between clinicians and researchers at Northwestern University, a diverse group of juvenile justice professionals in Cook County, Illinois, and community stakeholders. The Cook County Model is informed by existing trauma and justice literature and is grounded in tenants of community-based participatory research. This manuscript provides a detailed overview of the structure, processes, and activities employed during the first 18 months of system transformation efforts. Data collected from attendance sheets, post-meeting and posttraining surveys, key stakeholder interviews, and system transformation documents are integrated with observations from the authors. Findings are organized by the Model’s three main pillars: (1) Buy-in and Momentum, (2) Trauma Awareness and Knowledge, and (3) Cross-agency Infrastructure. Outcomes include sustained participant engagement, high satisfaction with and enthusiasm for the Model, and increased knowledge and trauma-informed practices occurring within and across JJ agencies. A number of TIC implementation challenges at the JJ system level are also identified. This study advances the field by introducing a comprehensive and replicable model of trauma-informed JJ systems transformation and adding to what is known regarding TIC at the systems level.

Economic Justice · Juvenile · Juvenile delinquency · Social justice · Child Abuse and Trauma · Counseling, Therapy, and Family Dynamics · Criminal Justice and Corrections Analysis

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Citation velocityhistorical
Highly citedNo
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