NAPD 2023 Rise, Resist, Represent Conference

Developmental trauma is a combination of years of multiple, cumulative traumas and a disrupted attachment.   Indigent populations represented by Public Defenders are clients who present with allegations/charges or as parents (with children in CWS) who for decades have been misdiagnosed and or whose traumas have been invalidated by other professionals.   This session provides an in-depth examination of developmental trauma, and will explore how we as mitigation specialists should understand the necessity of assessing trauma histories especially in BIPOC populations in both criminal and child welfare cases.