In 2021, Chief Justice of the NC Supreme Court, Paul Newby, established the Chief Justice Task Force on ACEs-Informed Courts (TFAC). This initiative, supported by the Bolch Judicial Institute at Duke Law School and the North Carolina Administrative Office of the Courts, aimed to educate judicial officials on trauma-informed approaches to improve outcomes for individuals involved in the court system. Members of the task force included judges, prosecutors, defense attorneys, clerks, law enforcement, private attorneys, child advocates, and academic researchers. TFAC's mission was to help judicial branch stakeholders understand the impact of ACEs (adverse childhood experiences and adverse community environments) on children, and to develop strategies to address these impacts within the court system.
District Court Judge Beth Tanner
Task Force Accomplishments
The task force achieved the following by the time its work concluded in December 2023:
- The ACEs-Informed Courts Bench Card was created to guide trauma-informed courtroom interactions, procedures, and considerations.
- Two advanced certifications, one in child welfare and one in juvenile justice, were developed for district court judges in collaboration with the UNC School of Government.
- The Bolch Judicial Institute's Trauma-Informed Court program at Duke University School of Law piloted educational efforts for judges, court administrators, and counsel on ACEs and related issues.
- A free, on-demand, trauma-informed training was launched in the NC Administrative Office of the Courts Learning Center for all judicial branch employees.
- A six-hour trauma-informed training course for new district court judges is now available as part of their required training.
- Instructional booklets to help children who are going to court and youth who attend court gain a better understanding and process their experience within a North Carolina courthouse were developed in collaboration with the UNC School of Government.
- The Youth Assessment and Screening Instrument (YASI) Bench Card, a risk, needs, and strengths assessment, was created for justice-involved youth to measure risk of recidivism and develop service plans.
- Safe Babies Courts, designed for infants and toddlers to exit the child welfare court system more quickly into safe, nurturing, and permanent homes, began piloting in five North Carolina locations in 2023.
- TFAC issued a final report that includes recommendations for sustaining and expanding trauma informed court practices and emphasizes continued stakeholder engagement and systemwide integration.
(North Carolina Judicial Branch, n.d.)
Impact in Judicial District 29
To understand the local impact of these efforts, Practice Notes interviewed Judge Beth Tanner, District Court Judge for Moore and Hoke counties. In 2023, when trauma training became mandatory for all new judges, Judge Tanner participated in the first cohort. She described the training as essential, noting that it introduced concepts and language she had not encountered while practicing law.
Judge Tanner pursued additional professional development and is scheduled to complete all three juvenile court certifications by the end of 2026. These courses significantly influenced her judicial practice and fostered a supportive community of judges who shared experiences, resources, and strategies. Setting clear expectations, using trauma informed language, and intentionally creating trauma responsive offices and courtrooms are approaches she learned about during the certification process and has found particularly effective in her courtroom.
Setting Expectations
Uncertainty and prolonged waiting in courtrooms often heighten anxiety, particularly for individuals with trauma histories. To reduce this stress, Judge Tanner plans out her juvenile court hearings which are always held on Fridays by holding virtual planning meetings the preceding Monday with attorneys, Guardians ad Litem, social workers and the juvenile clerk. These planning meetings allow the group to identify cases requiring continuances due to crises occurring within the family, prioritize scheduling based on school and family needs, and provide families with clearer expectations about when to appear in court.
Using Trauma-Informed Language
Judge Tanner incorporates language from the ACEs Informed Courts Bench Card into her courtroom practice. She clearly explains the purpose of hearings, what participants can expect, and when breaks can be taken. For example, "We are going to talk about some really hard things today, and one of those things is about whether we can continue to pursue reunifying you with your daughter. Please let me know if you need a break, and we will take a break." Judge Tanner says acknowledging emotions in a genuine, nonjudgmental manner, such as naming visible frustration or distress, is extremely important.
Judge Tanner also shared an example in which acknowledgment and affirmation made a difference with one birth mother. She helped this mother recognize that acknowledging she was not in a place to both address her sobriety and adequately parent her child was itself an act of parenting.
Creating a Trauma-Informed Office and Courtroom
Judge Tanner has learned that trauma-informed language alone is not enough. She says, "We must create a safe space in order to allow people to feel safe to speak."
Judge Tanner redesigned her office to feel more welcoming by adding a comfortable seating area, candles, puzzles, and plants. Because visitations (i.e., family time) can be hard to set up, she coordinates court dates and visitations to occur on the same day, allowing families to use her office for visits. In the courtroom, she provides fidgets, snacks, and drinks to ease the challenges of long proceedings.
She is also using the tools developed through the TFAC initiative. She provides instructional booklets to county child welfare staff to share with children and youth and regularly uses the YASI reports to confirm juvenile court counselors are using data points to ensure comprehensive consideration of youth risk and needs.
Recommendations
Judge Tanner stresses the importance of trauma informed understanding among all judicial staff. She recommends collaboration between county child welfare leadership and courthouse leadership to identify opportunities for trauma responsive changes and encourages juvenile judges to pursue specialized certifications. She also endorses the "One Judge / One Family" model (which reduces the number of times families must repeat their story to judges), noting its positive impact in family and juvenile courts in Moore and Hoke counties. She strongly encourages other jurisdictions to consider thoughtful implementation of this model across both family courts and all juvenile courts.