Maricopa County’s Adult Probation Department has launched an initiative aimed at supporting women who are on probation and have experienced trauma.
Women on probation are more likely than men to have experienced violent trauma. Michael Cimino is the chief of Adult Probation. He says some of his officers are part of the Justice-Involved Women initiative, which uses trauma-informed approaches to support these women.
"They're getting specific training around what's driving criminal behavior, often for women, how that trauma can inform how they respond to supervision, ways in which we can practically vary our approach to be sensitive to the victimization that's gone on," he explained.
Currently, women constitute more than 20% of Maricopa County’s probation population.
"One of the most significant differences between women and men under our supervision, or is there a background in trauma that women on probation and that are involved in the criminal justice system have a disproportionate background in trauma. And if we don’t vary our approaches based on that trauma we’re not going to be as successful," Cimino said.
