The ‘trauma-informed’ court: specialist approaches to managing sexual offence proceedings - Part 2

This is the final article in a two-part series providing a snapshot of the main findings and discussion from our recent integrative literature review on specialist approaches to managing sexual assault proceedings. Part one of the series laid the foundations for understanding the magnitude of the problem of sexual violence, the unique nature and impacts of sexual violence on the victim-survivor, and a victim-survivor’s justice needs. This part discusses the review’s findings on measures that are being adopted in Australia and comparable jurisdictions to address the victim-survivor’s justice needs. Following evaluation and synthesis of extant and emerging practice in four specialist domains (sexual violence courts, child abuse courts, domestic and family violence courts and specialist prosecution units), the article proposes a compendium of best practice measures. It advocates for a purpose-built and trauma-informed model for implementation of such specialist measures.