Trauma-Informed Care with Human Trafficking Survivors in the Criminal Justice System: A Systematic Review to Inform Transformative Social Work Practice

Background and Purpose:
Trauma-informed care (TIC) has emerged as a promising framework for addressing the needs of human trafficking survivors involved in the criminal justice system. Despite growing interest, the operationalization, implementation, and outcomes associated with TIC in justice settings—particularly those intended to support trafficking survivors—remain poorly understood. This systematic review synthesizes empirical studies examining TIC outcomes in justice subsystems that engage human trafficking survivors. The goal is to bridge gaps between social work science, policy, and practice, and to support transformative change in systems of justice.

Methods:
A systematic search of six electronic databases was conducted, covering peer-reviewed empirical articles published between 2014 and 2024. Inclusion criteria required that studies (1) describe the implementation or evaluation of TIC within criminal justice subsystems involving human trafficking survivors, and (2) report empirical findings. After screening titles, abstracts, and full texts, 11 studies met inclusion criteria and were extracted for analysis. Data were synthesized across study characteristics, TIC conceptualizations and guidelines, implementation strategies, and reported outcomes.

Results:
The review identified wide variation in how TIC is conceptualized and implemented across criminal justice subsystems that engage trafficking survivors, including policing, prosecution, and courts. Significant research gaps persist regarding the impact of TIC on survivor outcomes within these systems. While limited evidence points to potential benefits—such as enhanced survivor trust, improved prosecution outcomes, and better trafficking identification—rigorous evaluations of TIC approaches remain scarce. Nevertheless, existing guidelines offer a foundation for targeted implementation within specific subsystems.

Conclusions and Implications:
This review identifies promising practices and critical gaps in the application of TIC within criminal justice subsystems serving human trafficking survivors. Although TIC has the potential to foster positive survivor outcomes, desired impacts are often poorly defined and inconsistently implemented, limiting its transformative capacity. To advance systemic change, social work research must adopt rigorous strategies to: (1) define subsystem-specific TIC guidelines for trafficking survivors, and (2) evaluate their impact on both survivor and justice system outcomes. Doing so may reshape the anti-trafficking field’s understanding of TIC’s role in victim identification, support more accurate prevalence estimations, and promote evidence-informed practices for survivors involved in the criminal justice system.