Contrary to its enlightened-sounding name, "trauma-informed" investigations threaten to take us back to the Dark Ages of criminal justice where a mere accusation was tantamount to a conviction.

A recent editorial, "The Pandora’s Box of 'Trauma Informed' Investigations," focuses on the effects of "trauma-informed" methods on the broader criminal justice system. Author James Baresel argues that "trauma-informed" thinking could:

1. Be expanded to all crimes, not just sexual assault, causing the whole system to operate on a presumption of guilt.
2. Complicate the investigation of cases in which "self-defense" is claimed.
3. Squandering of law enforcement resources.

The editorial concludes that trauma-informed proponents seem to care more about "emotional sympathy, prejudice and ideologically driven agendas above cool-headed forensic and legal reasoning."

The editorial can be viewed here: http://ifeminists.net/e107_plugins/content/content.php?content.1495