Chief Gregory Suhr has arrested more people than he cares to remember during his 34 years in the San Francisco Police Department. And whilst he has no regrets about bringing wrong-doers to justice, one part of the process just never felt right: “If there was a little kid there. They might just be hanging around… Read More Trauma-informed Arrests

During my visit to Washington DC, l met with the inspirational Yasmine Arrington founder of Scholarchips, an organisation which supports children of incarceration parents to go college. Having grown up with her father in prison, Yasmine is a huge advocate of education as an agent for change: “As well as the increased job opportunities, there’s the travel, the exposure, the… Read More Scholarchips – Emancipation through Education

Having a parent incarcerated is officially traumatic. It is listed as one of the seven key negative factors in the Adverse Childhood Experiences study, which points out the link between difficult childhoods and poor health in later life. The mid-west state of Iowa takes this study very seriously. So much so that the Des Moines-based… Read More Iowa – a Trauma-Informed State?

It’s fair to say that 13th Street Long Island City is not pretty. Sandwiched between two housing projects, this dry, industrial landscape does not look promising. Yet it is here that a group of dedicated, good-humoured people have built Hour Children – a community that offers sanctuary to New York women recovering from the impact… Read More Hour Children – Molly and Jayden’s story

Gerardo Perez was six years old when a man in uniform turned up at his school. The man called him to the classroom door and started to explain that his mother would be away for a while. Gerardo nodded as if he understood, but in reality was bewildered and embarrassed by the whole thing. “I… Read More Gerardo’s Story

Visiting Echoes of Incarcerations in New York helped me understand how important it is for young people to tell their stories. All too often, children of incarcerated parents are silenced. Echoes, an award-winning film project, gives young people a voice through making documentaries about their experiences of having a loved-one in jail or prison. Kharon, Francis and… Read More Echoes of Incarcertion – giving young people a voice

Travelling to New York, Iowa, Arkansas, North Carolina, Washington DC and San Francisco to investigate trauma informed ways of with prisoners’ families. This trip is possible thanks to the generosity of the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust