Building Embodied Resilience: Strength-Based Trauma-Informed Mindfulness in Courts and Carceral Systems

Individuals who are incarcerated likely experience trauma or exacerbate existing trauma, which has significant health risks. Trauma-informed care aims to address the experienced trauma. The current study explored the effect of a trauma-informed yoga and mindfulness curriculum in carceral settings. In this quasi-experimental study, participants (n = 326) were assigned to either six weekly sessions of 60-minute group trauma-informed yoga and mindfulness or a waitlist control condition. Stress and mood were measured pre- and postclass, whereas coping, emotional awareness, emotional regulation, anxiety, anger management, compassion, self-compassion, forgiveness, and posttraumatic growth were measured pre- and postcurriculum. The trauma-informed group showed a significant increase in mood and decrease in stress after participation in class. Participants were more likely to use positive coping skills, experienced greater levels of forgiveness, and were more likely to experience posttraumatic growth after completing programming as compared to a control group. Qualitative data highlighted perceived improvements in mood, physical health, communication with peers, coping with anxiety and anger, focus and self-control, optimism, acceptance, and open-mindedness. The qualitative data also demonstrated the importance of supportive relationships outside of participants' peers (i.e., instructors). Outcomes suggest benefit of a trauma-informed yoga and mindfulness curriculum in aiding people who are incarcerated in supporting mental and physical well-being and building resilience.

Criminal conduct is not always violent, and violence does not always lead to criminal charges. Moreover, crime and violence have multifaceted etiologies. Most violence in society is not attributable to mental illness. Where there is a small relationship between violence and mental illness, the risk of violence increases for individuals with substance use histories. Underlying trauma can also play a role. Antisocial attitudes, behaviors, and peer groups further increase the risk that individuals, including those with mental illness, will find themselves at risk of criminal recidivism. Criminal histories among public mental health populations, and mental health and substance use disorders among criminal populations are each higher than general population comparisons. Care within behavioral health settings should therefore target decreased criminal recidivism and decreased violence as part of recovery for those individuals at risk, using trauma-informed approaches and peer supports. Interventions that show promise bring criminal justice and behavioral health systems together, and include police-based diversion, specialty courts, court-based alternatives to incarceration, and coordinated re-entry programs. This article reviews these options along with specific risk management strategies, such as using risk, needs, and responsivity factors as a means of improving overall outcomes for persons with mental illness, while minimizing their risk of further criminalization and victimization.

High rates of early morbidity and mortality in populations with chronic mental illness and addiction, along with the psychosocial risks tobacco use may pose, call for a need to systematically address tobacco in behavioral health settings. While smoke-free policies and other tobacco-related initiatives have faced a variety of barriers, implementing tobacco-free environments remains a vital step in tackling the health discrepancies between persons with chronic mental illness and the general population. This article examines the course of one community mental health center going tobacco-free, along with the challenges facing the initiative and lessons learned in the process. Consistent assessment and treatment of tobacco use, along with an emphasis on overall wellness, were major achievements of the tobacco-free initiative. Despite barriers to policy enforcement and resource integration, the initiative continues to enhance access to person-centered services and promulgate information about tobacco cessation. More direction is needed to address the lapses in tobacco cessation treatment that persist in the behavioral health system.

To date, much of the research in criminology and criminal justice maintains a focus on risk. Far less attention is given to the potential for and prediction of resilience among those who are justice-involved. This study explored the connection between strength-based factors and carceral resilience rooted in the resilience portfolio model (Hamby et al., 2018). The sample included 309 incarcerated individuals from three correctional facilities in Northeast Florida, with data collected through self-report measures and analyzed using random-effects panel regression models. Participants were either enrolled in a 6-week trauma-informed yoga and mindfulness program or assigned to a waitlist control group. Psychosocial strengths were key correlates of posttraumatic growth (PTG) among incarcerated individuals. Prayer, self-compassion, emotional awareness, and anger management were positively associated with PTG. Sleep quality emerged as a consistent correlate of PTG. Within this context, participation in a trauma-informed embodied mindfulness program was associated with higher PTG over time. The findings support the application of the resilience portfolio model in carceral contexts and highlight the potential of embodied, trauma-informed interventions to foster resilience. Implications include the need for holistic, strength-based programming in correctional settings and further exploration of embodied resilience. This research contributes to a growing body of literature emphasizing the capacity for healing among justice-involved populations. Understanding PTG in carceral settings can inform successful reentry and reintegration, as well as support prevention strategies and alternatives to incarceration. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).

This study investigates the boundary conditions (feasibility, safety, and efficacy) of an expressive writing intervention for individuals with post-traumatic stress disorder [PTSD]. Randomized trial with baseline and 3-month follow-up measures of PTSD severity and symptoms, mood states, post-traumatic growth, and (post-only) cortisol reactivity to trauma-related stress. Volunteers with a verified diagnosis of PTSD (N=25) were randomly assigned to an experimental group (writing about their traumatic experience) or control group (writing about time management). Expressive writing was acceptable to patients with PTSD and appeared safe to utilize. No changes in PTSD diagnosis or symptoms were observed, but significant improvements in mood and post-traumatic growth were observed in the expressive writing group. Finally, expressive writing greatly attenuated neuroendocrine (cortisol) responses to trauma-related memories. The present study provides insight into several boundary conditions of expressive writing. Writing did not decrease PTSD-related symptom severity. Although patients continue to exhibit the core features of PTSD, their capacity to regulate those responses appears improved following expressive writing. Dysphoric mood decreased after writing and when exposed to traumatic memories, participants' physiological response is reduced and their recovery enhanced.

Previous studies have demonstrated health benefits of mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) among cancer patients. While sustained mindfulness practice is an integral part of MBIs, few studies have examined the role of home practice on intervention outcomes. Also, little is known about characteristics of those who attend more classes and practice more yoga and meditation. Hence, this study investigated predictors and outcomes of engagement in a Mindfulness-Based Cancer Recovery (MBCR) program. Questionnaire data and home practice logs of 38 breast cancer survivors were collected before and after MBCR. A range of demographic, personality, and symptom-related factors were measured. Correlations and regression analyses were conducted. Only greater baseline anxiety was correlated with more home meditation practice (p < .05). Class attendance (p < .01) and home meditation and yoga practice (p < .001) were all significantly associated with improved post-traumatic growth (PTG) and attendance with improved spirituality (p < .001) and vigor (p < .01). In multiple regression, total home practice time was the best predictor of improvements in PTG. Class attendance was the best predictor of changes in vigor and improvements in spirituality, and meditation time was the best predictor of improvements in mood. More neurotic survivors attended more classes (p < .01), while more defensive women attended fewer (p < .05). Additionally, married or cohabitating women, those with greater baseline self-esteem (p < .01) and to a lesser extent lower depressive mood, higher social support, and more extraversion (p < .05), practiced more yoga during the program. Directionality and clinical significance of these changes need to be further investigated.

Jail diversion, specialty court, and reentry services: Partnerships between behavioral health and justice systems

Between Reparations and Repair: Assessing the Work of the ICC Trust Fund for Victims Under Its Assistance Mandate

The article is devoted to the study of the standard of “the best interests of the child” in the evaluation of evidence in criminal proceedings against minors. The relevance of the topic is determined by the need to reconcile the objectives of criminal proceedings with the educational and rehabilitative orientation of juvenile justice, as well as by existing challenges in implementing international standards for the protection of the rights of the child in national criminal justice practice. Special attention is paid to combining traditional criteria for the evaluation of evidence with the requirement to give primary consideration to the interests of the child. Within the framework of the study, an analysis is conducted of international legal instruments in the field of justice for children, in particular the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Administration of Juvenile Justice (the “Beijing Rules”), the General Comments of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, as well as European standards on childfriendly justice. The article substantiates the threefold legal nature of the principle of the best interests of the child as a norm of substantive law, an interpretative principle and a procedural safeguard. It is concluded that, despite the absence of its explicit entrenchment in the Criminal Procedure Code of Ukraine, this principle can be integrated into the process of evaluating evidence as a qualified criterion of admissibility and relevance. On the basis of an analysis of national judicial practice, it is established that in most criminal proceedings involving minors, courts limit themselves to the formal application of procedural rules, without providing sufficient reasoning for their decisions from the standpoint of the best interests of the child. It is revealed that only in isolated cases do courts carry out a comprehensive evaluation of evidence, taking into account the individual psychophysiological characteristics of the minor, his or her social environment, level of development, and the potential impact of the criminal proceedings on the process of resocialization. The article proposes the author’s own definition of the concept of “ensuring the best interests of the child in criminal proceedings” and identifies its main features that must be taken into account by the court in the course of evidence assessment. The expediency of applying a holistic and multidisciplinary approach, as well as the necessity of specialized training for judges, is substantiated as a prerequisite for the proper implementation of the principle of the best interests of the child. It is concluded that the systematic consideration of this principle in the evaluation of evidence is a necessary precondition for ensuring a fair trial and achieving the rehabilitative purpose of criminal proceedings against minors.

Introduction: People with serious mental illness (SMI) like schizophrenia tend to be high-need high-cost patients. They use health care services disproportionately, often due to physical health conditions, but receive lower quality of care. A leading proposal to challenge this disparity is to integrate primary care services into specialist behavioral health systems. Yet the implementation of integration initiatives is not always realized, and after implementation, the benefits are not always sustained. Theory: Focusing on integration of primary care services into behavioral health settings, this project analyzes the structural, process, cultural and external factors that help or hinder programs providing comprehensive care to people with SMI and how these factors interact. Methods: This is a qualitative research study. Focusing on New York State we identified 11 sites of innovative mental health-primary care integration practice through federal registries. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 52 individuals (senior clinicians, administrators and frontline staff) at these sites on organizational, structural, integration and implementation factors. Qualitative thematic analysis identified common facilitators and barriers to integration. A causal loop diagram is being developed to explore interactions between themes. Results and Discussions: Factors that helped integration divided into structural, process and cultural facilitators. A key structural facilitator was co-location of care; however, this did not always stimulate or motivate integration. Process factors such as multi-disciplinary practices, prescribed case conferences and informal huddles had to be in place to ensure effective cross-disciplinary communication. An integrated health record was a key facilitator to care but used in different ways from simply a communication tool to a sophisticated outcomes monitoring database. Cultural factors such as having a vision for integration, disseminating this vision throughout the organization and making time and resources available were fundamental to successful implementation. Barriers to integration broadly divided into clinical, organizational and external factors. Clinical barriers included difficulties in engaging patients and in recruiting clinicians. Organizational barriers included high administrative burden taking clinicians away from the frontline. External barriers such as fragmentation amongst regulatory authorities and short-term funding arrangements were most commonly reported and most difficult to resolve. Conclusions: (1) In New York no integration sites are situated in rural areas and most were concentrated in New York City. Of these, most were located in socially deprived neighborhoods with high ethnic minority populations. (2) Primary care organizations had access to a range of different mechanisms and incentives to integrate care, but behavioral health organizations were limited to short-term grants. These were mainly used to increase capacity or buy time whilst providers developed more sustainable integration efforts. Lessons Learned: Delineating the key components of mental health integration could help align funding and service delivery to overcome some of the sustainability and regulatory barriers to integration. Limitations: All the sites identified were situated in New York City limiting the generalizability of our findings outside large urban centres. Suggestions for Future Research: Should we expect all practices to integrate mental health and physical care to the same degree, or should we focus/initiate integration strategies in well-resourced, well-networked centres?

Recent years have seen a dramatic shift in youth justice outcomes and a fall in the number of children drawn into the youth justice system in England and Wales. However, it appears that children from some backgrounds have not benefited as much as others from this change. There is a wealth of academic literature on processes of criminalisation, policies, and practices of youth justice and the experiences of children, particularly boys, in custody. However, there is little detailed understanding of how these processes, policies, and practices affect children from different backgrounds. This paper examines the most intrusive aspect of youth justice, namely, custodial sentences. Through an examination of the Inspectorate of Prisons’ reports and associated surveys, this paper seeks to explore black and minority ethnic boys’ perceptions of their experiences of custody.

Eating disorders can lead to severe medical and psychological consequences. Traditional interventions may neglect some of the crucial elements of eating disorders, specifically mood and body awareness. Other modalities, particularly yoga, should be considered as an adjunct to traditional treatments. This pilot study explored the benefits of a 6-day yoga workshop for women with a history of eating disorders. Results indicated improvements in mood, psychological adjustment, physical and emotional awareness, and eating disorder symptoms. This study concluded that other modalities, such as yoga, may be efficacious in improving mood and psychological functioning for those with a self-reported history of eating disorders.

This study aimed to analyze the moderation and moderation effects of resilience on the anxiety, depression impact on post-traumatic growth (PTG) among breast cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy based on structural equation modeling, and confirmed whether resilience was a mediating and regulating variable between anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic growth. In addition, whether anxiety and depression have different effects on PTG under different levels of psychological resilience.This cross-sectional study was conducted from November 2017 to January 2019, with subjects of 260 breast cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy in the department of breast and general surgery of a tertiary general hospital in Shanxi Province of China.Data were collected according to the General Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale, and the posttraumatic growth inventory. Estimated values of model path coefficients and significance test were performed to confirm the mediation effect. Hierarchical regression and simple slope test were used to analyze the regulation effect.Resilience showed significant correlations with anxiety, depression and PTG (all P < .01). Estimated values of model path coefficients and significance test results indicated that the mediating role of resilience was remarkable and it could regulate anxiety, depression, and PTG.The anxiety, depression and resilience affected their PTG of breast cancer patients during chemotherapy, suggesting the need to establish a cooperative mechanism based on the concept of multidisciplinary collaboration. Professional psychological intervention should be used to reduce anxiety and depression and to explore the potential of resilience to promote their PTG.

Throughout history, problems of disability and rehabilitation were considered mainly in the context of pathology. However, at the end of the twentieth century, positive psychology was officially formed. It focuses on the positive sides of psycho-social human functioning. The science of happiness and human strength captures the problems of rehabilitation in terms of systemic theories; more specifically, in the context of a self-organizing system (autopoietic). In the process of maintaining the self-organization of a system, movement and speech have a special role. This has clear implications for rehabilitation, including therapies aimed at posttraumatic growth. Emphasized by positive psychology, the potential of human resilience e.g., self-determination, has made it possible to supplement the traditional approach to rehabilitation by supporting beneficial processes and positive aspects of psycho-social development and functioning of people with disabilities.

The article provides a comprehensive analysis of the international legal framework governing the formation of the judicial corps of the Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine. Following the execution of the Agreement between Ukraine and the Council of Europe on June 25, 2025, the institutional and procedural aspects of its Statute require profound doctrinal assessment. The research aims to examine the qualification requirements for judicial candidates, the institutional selection mechanism, the organizational structure of the chambers, and the guarantees of judicial independence. The author emphasizes that the Statute establishes exceptionally high qualification criteria, integrating strict moral standards with the mandatory requirement of practical experience in criminal proceedings and extensive expertise in international law. A fundamental institutional safeguard against politicization is the imperative prohibition against two nationals of the same state serving concurrently. The study analyzes the multi-stage selection procedure: candidates are subject to mandatory evaluation and recommendation by the Independent Advisory Group prior to the final appointment via a secret ballot by the Steering Committee. This procedural framework ensures international legitimacy for the fifteen judges elected to the list for a non-renewable nine-year term. Furthermore, the article explores the Tribunal's structural division into Pre-Trial, Trial, and Appeals Chambers, highlighting the strict statutory prohibition against judges exercising concurrent jurisdiction across different chambers within the same case. Special attention is devoted to the procedural modality of selecting judges from a pre-approved roster. Under this functional model, judges do not receive continuous remuneration solely for their inclusion in the list and are authorized to perform judicial functions remotely until formally activated by the President. In conclusion, it is substantiated that the statutory architecture governing the formation of the judicial corps incorporates the most effective practices of international criminal justice, establishing a robust institutional foundation for the independent, impartial, and effective prosecution of individuals bearing the highest responsibility for the crime of aggression against Ukraine. Keywords: Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine, ad hoc court, Steering Committee, judicial corps, judicial independence, international criminal justice.