Research and practice indicate that many youth involved with the justice system have a history of significant trauma. The JJC therefore relies on a trauma-informed approach to treatment in order to effectively meet the needs of the youth in its care, ensuring young people impacted by trauma feel safe emotionally and physically. This approach recognizes the symptoms of trauma and acknowledges the pervasive role trauma plays in an individual’s life, including how trauma impacts one’s response to treatment. Trauma-informed care emphasizes the delivery of services in a way that helps to ensure negative feelings and responses associated with past trauma are not triggered, in order to avoid inadvertent re-traumatization. In trauma-informed care, the central question becomes not “What is wrong with this person?” but instead “What has happened to this person?”

RTSU social workers and substance abuse counselors are trained to integrate trauma-informed practices into their work with adolescents. Many clinical staff members also have experience with enhanced therapeutic tools, such as Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR), which help to detect and address trauma.

In addition to the qualified staff within RTSU, the JJC contracts with the Rutgers University Correctional HealthCare (UCHC) to provide comprehensive mental health care to JJC residents, which includes individual, group, family, and crisis intervention services. UCHC and the JJC collaborate to deliver culturally competent and sensitive treatment to all residents in crisis and for residents with special needs due to a mental illness, serious emotional disturbances, and/or intellectual deficits. On-call support provided by UCHC also ensures mental health consultation services are available for each JJC facility for emergent needs beyond the regular workday, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Additionally, as the number of youth in the justice system nationwide identified as seriously emotionally disturbed increases, the JJC has responded. The JJC's Ocean Residential Community Home is specifically targeted for the treatment of 20 male residents with serious emotional disorders and special needs. For those youth with serious mental health problems necessitating secure placement, the JJC operates a 24-bed program on the grounds of the New Jersey Training School (NJTS) and a unit at Juvenile Medium Security Facility (JMSF) that can accommodate up to 10 male residents. Services for females are provided at the Juvenile Female Secure Reception and Assignment Center (JFSCS) and DOVES Residential Community Home.

With the understanding that substance abuse issues are prevalent among the JJC’s population, substance abuse services are available at every JJC facility. In addition to the JJC’s full-time Certified Alcohol and Substance Abuse Counselors on staff, the JJC contracts with private practitioners throughout the state to ensure services are available agency-wide. The JJC also operates a dedicated substance abuse treatment unit at the New Jersey Training School.

Residents throughout the JJC participate in the New Freedom Curriculum to help break their addiction and remain substance free. This evidenced-based, cognitive-behavioral curriculum influences residents’ thinking patterns in order to affect future behavior. Residents are assessed every five lessons with the Change Talk Tool which measures each resident’s progress based on the stages of pre-contemplation, contemplation, preparation, and action.

Additionally, as the number of youth in the justice system nationwide identified as seriously emotionally disturbed increases, the JJC has responded. The JJC's Ocean Residential Community Home is specifically targeted for the treatment of 20 male residents with serious emotional disorders and special needs. For those youth with serious mental health problems necessitating secure placement, the JJC operates a 24-bed program on the grounds of the New Jersey Training School (NJTS) and a unit at Juvenile Medium Security Facility (JMSF) that can accommodate up to 10 male residents. Services for females are provided at the Juvenile Female Secure Reception and Assignment Center (JFSCS) and DOVES Residential Community Home.