Resources: 6.3 Trauma-Informed Courts

• Why Procedural Justice Matters (2012) Tom R. Tyler, professor of law and psychology at Yale Law School, presents "Procedural Justice: Why It Matters So Much" at Community Justice 2012: the International Conference of Community Courts.
• Procedural Justice: Practical Tips for Courts (2015) [PDF 431KB] Practical Tips highlights communication strategies that can be used to promote perceptions of fairness in the court context. This resource was developed as part of a multi-year collaboration involving the Center for Court Innovation, National Judicial College, and the U.S. Department of Justice Bureau of Justice Assistance, with guidance from a national advisory board.
• Procedural Fairness in California: Initiatives, Challenges, and Recommendations (2011) [PDF 3.7MB] This report, commissioned by the Administrative Office of the Courts in California, describes initiatives in California's civil and traffic courts to improve procedural fairness. The report also contains a brief self-assessment tool that court administrators can use to examine procedural fairness in their local jurisdictions.
• Human Trafficking Victims as Criminal Defendants (2013) [PDF 157KB] This is a one page information sheet that provides information on possible options for dealing with criminal cases in which the defendant is a victim of trafficking.
• The Impact of the Community Court Model on Defendant Perceptions of Fairness (2006) [PDF 415KB] This case study of the Red Hook Community Justice Center in New York discusses the important role all justice system actors play in improving perceptions of fairness.