Preliminary findings on TBI knowledge of professionals working with justice-involved youth

Abstract

Professionals working with justice-involved youth (JIYs) play a critical role in identifying and providing supports and services related to traumatic brain injury (TBI). The aim of this study was to better understand the knowledge of TBI of professionals working with JIYs, a research priority identified by the National Conference of State Legislatures. Fifty employees of an urban juvenile court system completed an online survey about their TBI knowledge. Respondents scored an average of 77.31% correct, yet patterns emerged in item responses and based on participant characteristics that indicate opportunities for training and education on TBI. The results of this preliminary study provide foundational evidence on TBI knowledge of professionals working with JIYs, inform future TBI-related trainings and education provided to professionals working with JIYs, and inform other practices and policies related to JIYs with TBI.

Keywords:

• Brain injury
• knowledge
• youth
• juvenile
• professionals
• pre-sentence investigations

Disclosure statement

The authors have no financial or nonfinancial relationships to report.