"Victim-centered" goes by a variety of names, such as Start By Believing, believe-the-victim, and trauma-informed. So exactly what does "trauma informed" mean?

Proponents of this approach point to the well-known experience of being caught in a state of paralyzing surprise or fear. They highlight research with animals on the "deer in the headlights" phenomenon. 

While there may be value in using "trauma-informed" concepts for therapy and counseling, when used in the investigative context, it creates a seductive, circular logic:

1. The accuser is automatically assumed to be a “victim.”
2. The “victim” is assumed to have experienced a life-threatening assault, even if the accuser did not claim to be harmed.
3. Any inconsistencies in the “victim’s” testimony is ascribed to the “trauma” of the incident.
4. Any possibility of false allegations or involvement of alcohol is dismissed.

This is why journalist Emily Yoffe has described trauma-informed as "junk science:"

The result is not only a system in which some men are wrongly accused and wrongly punished. It is a system vulnerable to substantial backlash. University professors and administrators should understand this. And they, of all people, should identify and call out junk science.

For more information, see the attached article, The Bad Science Behind Campus Response to Sexual Assault.