Brain Injury: Disrupting the Revolving Door of the Juvenile Justice System

This webinar was held at 10am on Wednesday, January 27, 2021. The live recording is below. A copy of the slides used in the presentation is available by clicking on the button below this text box.

Dr. Kim Gorgens is a Professor of Psychophysiology, Clinical Neuropsychology and Psychology of Criminal Behavior at the University of Denver. She manages a large portfolio of traumatic brain injury (TBI) related research and has lectured extensively on those issues (including a 2010 TED talk on youth sports concussion, a 2018 TED talk on brain injuries in criminal justice, several NRP spots, and an interview on CNN with Anderson Cooper). Her work has been featured in US News, Newsweek, Salon.com, and more. Her research studies the reported injury history, cognitive function and brain biomarkers of youth and college athletes, probationers, and inmates. Her mission is to better understand the short and long-term impacts of injuring our most vital organ.

This presentation will highlight data from adult and youth correctional, court and treatment facilities. This presentation will also highlight a novel model from Colorado that is designed to disrupt the trajectory of youth in the criminal justice system. The Colorado TBI Model is used to identify brain injury history, assess cognitive functioning and psychosocial vulnerabilities and to make recommendations and referrals that support the youth through (and out of) the system.