Shaping the Response: An Interpretive Analysis of Trauma Informed Policy in Texas Policing

Background and Purpose:

Each year, an estimated 19.3% of women experience rape and 43.9% experience other forms of sexual violence. Despite this prevalence, sexual assault survivors often face re-traumatization and mistrust in the criminal justice system, particularly from their interactions with law enforcement officials. In response, some states have started implementing reforms to promote more survivor-centered and trauma-informed practices. Texas Senate Bill 1402 mandates a trauma-informed approach to sexual assault investigations for Texas law enforcement officials. Employing an interpretative policy analysis framework, the aim of this study is to examine how SB 1402 conceptualizes trauma through its training content, and to identify which components of the training can be strengthened to ensure a more effective and inclusive survivor-centered approach.

Methods:

We conducted a policy discourse analysis of SB 1402, focusing on how trauma is conceptualized in the training materials, the narratives constructed about survivors and officers, and how the manual’s framing influences law enforcement perceptions and practices. Using interpretative policy analysis, we analyzed meaning-making and the language used to identify the components of the trauma-informed training that are efficacious and which elements could be enhanced to incorporate a more inclusive, survivor-centered approach to sexual assault investigations.

Results:

Our findings demonstrate that policy language not only shapes officer behavior but also reinforces specific assumptions about survivors and trauma. While SB 1402 represents a well-intended step toward needed trauma-informed practices, the analysis reveals limitations in its narrow framing. The policy primarily conceptualizes trauma in psychological terms, with limited focus on the emotional and social dimensions. We recommend that to build a more effective and holistic trauma-informed approach, future trainings could benefit from integrating context-specific scenarios and facilitators, community based narratives, and a broader conceptualization of trauma. When combined with the content of the mandated training manual, these enhancements could promote more survivor-centered and responsive investigations.

Conclusions and Implications:

By critically examining the intersection of policy language and practice, our study contributes to transformation change in criminal justice responses to sexual assault. It also highlights the critical role of social work science in shaping trauma-informed, survivor-centered policy and practice implementation.