Dr Helen Thomas1
1Victoria University, Melbourne, Australia
Biography:
Dr Thomas is a psychologist with extensive experience working with adults and young people in the criminal justice system. She led the Social and Emotional Wellbeing team at the Yoorrook Justice Commission, Australia’s first formal Indigenous truth-telling process. Her research explores the intersections of trauma and violence, with a focus on clinical applications in forensic settings.
Understanding of trauma and its impacts on functioning and wellbeing is burgeoning in psychology and mainstream landscapes alike. It is recognised that experiences of early life trauma are common, with two thirds of people globally reporting adverse childhood events (ACEs). For individuals involved in the criminal justice system, experiences of trauma are higher. Rates are particularly high for those who commit violent offences, demonstrating strong interrelationships between trauma and violence, with multifaceted pathways and complex offender and victim statuses.
A less well-understood phenomenon is ‘offence-related trauma’, the development of trauma related symptoms, including posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), resulting from the commission of a violent offence. Prevalence rates are thought to range between 33-50% in samples of adult male violent offenders. Offence-related trauma appears more likely to develop when offences are unplanned and reactive, and committed against a known or loved victim.
The complex pathways connecting trauma and violent behaviour show up in the treatment needs, engagement, responsivity and outcomes for those convicted of violent offences. While the strong association between trauma and violence is understood, and trauma-informed practice is increasingly recognised as essential in correctional settings, it remains underutilised.
This paper presents brief clinical case examples of offence-related trauma, paired with the findings of a scoping review examining the existing literature. It is suggested that further investigation of offence-related trauma is required in an Australian context, and that going beyond trauma-informed practice and offering targeted trauma treatment for violent offenders is a worthwhile consideration, potentially leading to enhanced community safety.