Surviving Moral Injury in Law Enforcement

Moral injury occurs when someone is exposed to actions or inaction that conflict with their moral beliefs. Ideally, recovery from moral injury on the job includes an ability to separate self-worth and occupation. Disentangling the person from the professional persona facilitates personal development and authenticity, as opposed to highlighting the identity that collapsed as a result of a professional mistake or mishap. Stepping out of the uniform after moral injury is often a relief for someone struggling after trauma, affording time for careful consideration of whether or when to step back in. Supportive friends, family, faith leaders, and colleagues can help someone struggling with moral injury by affirming authentic self-worth outside of the occupation that contributed to their emotional injury.

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Experiencing and Recovering From Moral Injury

Some people do not “recover” from moral injury; they learn to live with it. There should be no burdensome pressure to overcome or overpower traumatic thoughts; getting through each day can be its own victory. And with respect to returning to the profession that caused the trauma, some people decide to jump right back into uniform, and others decide to hang it up and forge a new path. Either way, research reveals some helpful concepts to consider.

Kayla R. Hanley (2025) examined the co-occurrence of moral injury and PTSD in male police officers.[i] She begins by noting that a police officer who experiences a potentially morally injurious event (PMIE) is at risk for suffering moral injury (MI) if the officer does not have an opportunity to process the event with the help of a support system. She notes that MI involves a contrast between actions or inactions, and morality.

Exposure to Potentially Morally Injurious Events

Hanley defines MI for police officers as occurring when officers are “directly involved in or observe actions that go against their moral principles.” She notes MI is common yet under-researched as it occurs for police officers in urban areas, who witness or experience potentially morally injurious events (PMIE) at higher rates than persons not involved in law enforcement. MI can prompt internalized feelings of anger, worthlessness, guilt and shame, and feeling powerless. If unaddressed, MI can adversely impact officers through evolving into other mental health issues, such as increased rates of PTSD.

When left unaddressed, Hanley notes that someone can suffer from both MI and PTSD simultaneously. Although there is currently no evidence-based intervention for police officers who are experiencing MI, Hanley notes that because of the clinical overlap and frequent co-occurrence between MI and PTSD, social workers can use trauma-focused interventions to address MI.

Protective Factors and Peer Support

People suffering from adverse emotional symptoms can gain comfort from trusted family and friends, and professional help when appropriate. Hanley identifies factors that can protect officers from experiencing a PMIE (and possibly PTSD if the MI is left unaddressed) as including spiritual or religious connections, as well as self-forgiveness post PMIE, especially after an act of commission. She also notes that officers with strong social connections who discuss the PMIE with their support systems are less likely to develop MI. Together, these protective factors help to mitigate both MI and PTSD from developing in the first place.

Hanley concludes by observing the need for law enforcement agencies along with officers to normalize the experience of PMIEs on the job, while also supporting the officers who experience them, in order to reduce the impacts of MI.