Adverse Childhood Experiences, otherwise known as ACEs, is a relatively new concept based on a large-scale study conducted by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) in the mid 1990's. The study examined the relationship between childhood trauma and later-life health and well-being. Since that study, there has been much more research done to understand the impact of ACEs.
There is a strong relationship between ACEs and the likelihood of the child (and later, adult) to commit serious or violent crimes later in life. In fact, this issue is so prevalent, the U.S. Attorney General established a National Task Force on Children Exposed to Violence and found that two out of three children experience exposure to violence and 90% of juvenile offenders in the United States have experienced some form of traumatic event during childhood!
30% of youth who are involved in the justice system meet the criteria for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) due to trauma. Not every child exposed to trauma will become incarcerated or turn to crime. However, there is a higher chance. Further, there is a high likelihood that those incarcerated have ACES.
Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)
Children may not feel safe in their environments, and they can't control what the adults do or remove themselves from any negative situation. This can lead to peer pressure to become involved in illicit drug use and/or crimes. With the lack of feeling safe in their homes or within their neighborhoods they begin to believe this is normal.
The study of ACEs began in 1998. It was found during the study that more than half of the participants had been victim to at least one Adverse Childhood Experience (ACE). It was found that when a child experienced more than three ACES, there was a 4 to 12-fold increase in risk to health later in life. This study led to other studies, such as how ACEs effects criminal behavior.
Study after study has shown that ACEs contributes to multiple negative outcomes such as:
Chronic violent offending (Baglivio, Wolff, Piquero, & Epps, 2015; Basto-Pereira, Miranda, Ribeiro, & Maia, 2016; Fang & Corso, 2007; Fox, Perez , Cass, Baglivio, & Epps, 2015; Garbarino, 2017; Lansford, et al., 2007; Perez, Jennings, & Baglivio, 2018; Reavis, Looman, Franco, & Rojas, 2013; Wolff & Baglivio, 2017);
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A lower quality of life (Abajobir, et al., 2017; Mosley-Johnson, et al., 2019).
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Delayed brain development (Berens, Jensen, & Nelson, 2017)
and much more!
Van Duin, et al (2020) found that the relationship between ACEs and adult employment and education and quality of life collected on 692 multi-problem young adults between the ages of 18-27 was related to extensive criminal history and lower quality of life.
Further understanding of ACEs can help us understand what is happening to our youth and further help them change their lives. With incarcerated offenders who have experienced ACEs and have spent decades atoning for their crimes, we can work together to help stop the cycle of violence!
Examples of ACEs
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Experiencing parental divorce or separation
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Having a family member who is incarcerated
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Living with a family member who is addicted to alcohol or other substances
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Living with a family member who is depressed or has other mental illnesses
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Experiencing physical and emotional neglect
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Experiencing physical, emotional and sexual abuse
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Witnessing a mother being abused
ACEs occur more commonly than you’d expect. In Wisconsin, more than half of all adults have experienced one adverse childhood experience in their past. The more ACEs an individual has experienced, the higher their risk climbs for lasting health impacts.