Trauma-Informed Care in Forensic and Secure Settings: A Systematic Scoping Review

Trauma-informed care (TIC) is widely advocated in forensic and secure mental health settings, yet implementation outcomes and effectiveness are poorly characterized. In this scoping review, the authors aimed to synthesize measurable outcomes of TIC training and implementation programs for service users and staff and to identify legal, policy, and institutional facilitators and barriers.

The authors searched six databases (PubMed, PsycInfo, the Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection, CINAHL, Scopus, and Google Scholar) for English-language empirical studies (January 1999-February 2025) in forensic mental health, juvenile justice, or correctional settings. Two reviewers double-screened a random subset (5% of titles and abstracts and 10% of full texts). Data were narratively synthesized.

Of 2,465 records, 12 met inclusion criteria. Eight studies examined staff outcomes only, four included youths, and none reported adult service user outcomes. Immediate posttraining gains in staff knowledge and confidence were common, and perceived safety improved when TIC was embedded in the organization's culture rather than implemented as isolated training. Facilitators included multitiered leadership, concurrent staff and service user engagement, and sustained organizational investment. Barriers included tensions with security protocols, resource constraints, and punitive cultures.

Evidence for TIC in forensic settings is sparse and methodologically limited, with no adult service user outcomes and few study designs supporting causal inference. Preliminary, low-certainty signals suggest benefits for perceived safety when TIC is integrated into an organization's culture. Rigorous comparative studies that include adult perspectives and measure sustained clinical outcomes are needed to establish effectiveness.