Trauma Prevention Is Crime Prevention

By Sonali Kolhatkar & Dortell Williams, Yes Magazine

Politicians and pundits assert that our criminal justice system—from law enforcement to mass incarceration—are inevitable aspects of society and that there are no viable alternatives. But if we view crime and punishment through the lens of trauma, we begin to see that there are indeed alternatives, and that crime can be prevented before it begins. 

Here’s a simple way to understand how trauma starts and how trauma spreads: A person goes to sit in a chair, but the chair breaks. Perhaps they are embarrassed because someone witnessed their humiliation. The primal part of their brain automatically wants to prevent a similar event, so they begin to fear chairs. They might think twice before they sit in a chair again. Maybe they avoid chairs altogether or let someone else sit in the chair first to ensure it won’t break.

In this instance, the traumatic memory of the event has changed the way the person responds to similar situations.

Now, let’s apply this metaphor to real life. If a young person witnesses one parent being beaten by another parent, then that young person may feel both fearful and helpless. They may even subconsciously say to themselves, “I’m never going to let that happen to me.” As that young person gets older, they may have a fervent desire to acquire a knife or a gun without actually realizing why they have such a strong need to feel protected. 

Trauma reenactment, which is when people repeat behaviors associated with past traumas, may manifest in the form of bullying aimed at their peers. As they spread their trauma onto others, they or their peers may take it out on society. They may rob or otherwise hurt others. They may even harm themselves through cutting, substance abuse, or violent crimes against others. 

When someone hurts others, their victims and the criminal justice system push for them to be prosecuted to the maximum extent of the law. This is the real-life contagion of trauma. While we very rarely link such outcomes to the initial traumatic events, this is the way trauma actually works: Hurt people tend to hurt others.

Modern American society is marked by sharp inequalities in income, health access, employment, housing, and education, all of which cause stress and hurt people, and thereby fuel trauma.

We have the means to equalize social strata. Yet too often we choose to spend disproportionate public revenue on reacting to crimes rather than preventing them, enforcing inequality through “tough on crime” policies such as policing, aggressive prosecution, and harsh sentencing. 

Keep reading to learn how punishment doesn’t stop the cycle of trauma but worsens trauma and crime.

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