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Analysis of in‐depth interviews with eight district court judges in North Carolina revealed over 40 practices that judges can adopt to become more trauma‐informed in their work. These practices map onto SAMHSA's framework for a trauma‐informed approach, demonstrating that abstract principles can translate into concrete actions in the courtroom setting. Analysis revealed an additional core principle of trauma‐informed judicial practice—Rehabilitation and Healing—and several areas where judges can deepen their commitment to trauma‐informed care—engagement with peer support programming; greater attention to cultural, historical, and gender issues; and application of trauma‐informed practice in adult criminal court. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Understanding judges' views is crucial to the successful adoption of a trauma-informed (TI) approach in the U.S. court system, yet little is known on this topic. We explored judges' attitudes of and experiences with TI practice to help fill this gap., Method: We surveyed 91 North Carolina district court judges, assessing their attitudes related to TI practice, use of trauma-informed practices (TIPs), previous trauma education, and support for different justice goals. We conducted independent-samples t tests and Poisson regression analyses to compare attitudes, use of TIPs, and education experiences between judges working in juvenile justice and those not in juvenile justice; descriptive statistics to examine rates of engagement with different TIPs; and bivariate correlation analyses to assess associations between TI practice outcomes and justice goals., Results: Analyses revealed more favorable attitudes toward a TI approach and greater engagement with trauma education among judges working in juvenile versus adult courts; TIPs with the lowest levels of engagement related to policies and procedures; and strong positive correlations between favorable TI practice attitudes and support for rehabilitation and restoration., Conclusion: Findings highlight areas for growth in the movement to create more TI courts, such as strengthening support for TI practice in the adult criminal system and implementing TIPs related to policies, procedures, and outcomes, not just communication. Findings also support the connection between a TI approach and less punitive justice practices, signaling the potential role that TI judicial practice can play in shifting our legal system toward more transformative forms of justice. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).