Skip to main content

Main menu

  • Home
  • Content
    • Current
    • Archive
    • Upcoming Scientific Articles
  • Info for
    • Authors
    • Reviewers
    • Advertisers
    • Subscribers
  • About Us
    • About the North Carolina Medical Journal
    • Editorial Board
  • More
    • Alerts
    • Feedback
    • Help
    • RSS
  • Other Publications
    • North Carolina Medical Journal

User menu

  • My alerts
  • Log in

Search

  • Advanced search
North Carolina Medical Journal
  • Other Publications
    • North Carolina Medical Journal
  • My alerts
  • Log in
North Carolina Medical Journal

Advanced Search

  • Home
  • Content
    • Current
    • Archive
    • Upcoming Scientific Articles
  • Info for
    • Authors
    • Reviewers
    • Advertisers
    • Subscribers
  • About Us
    • About the North Carolina Medical Journal
    • Editorial Board
  • More
    • Alerts
    • Feedback
    • Help
    • RSS
  • Follow ncmj on Twitter
  • Visit ncmj on Facebook
Research ArticlePolicy Forum

Addressing Adverse Childhood Experiences in an Effort to End Criminal Offender Recidivism

N. Lorrin Freeman
North Carolina Medical Journal March 2018, 79 (2) 116; DOI: https://doi.org/10.18043/ncm.79.2.116
N. Lorrin Freeman
district attorney, Wake County, Raleigh, North Carolina
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
  • For correspondence: N.Lorrin.Freeman@nccourts.org
  • Article
  • References
  • Info & Metrics
  • PDF
Loading

A 17-year-old high school female student engages in a fight at school. Instead of initiating charges for affray against her, the school resource officer refers her to the new diversion program in Wake County where offenders involved in low-level, non-violent criminal behavior are sent in lieu of being sent to district court. During the intake process as part of the mental health screening, the student discloses for the first time that she has been sexually abused. The student is connected with a local mental health agency and as part of her fulfillment of requirements designed to address the criminal behavior, she begins to receive treatment. The student successfully completes the program and avoids receiving a criminal record.

Most criminal justice system outcomes historically have focused on the crime while often overlooking the root cause of the criminal behavior. In the past, this student would have received the opportunity of a diversion program—likely after having been charged—that included community service and perhaps an anger management class. That diversion program would not have required that the student submit to a mental health screening or needs assessment. Her abuse likely would have remained unreported and untreated.

For many of us who work in the criminal justice system, the idea of a “cycle of violence” is nothing new. The term refers to the tendency of children who grow up in homes where they are victims of, or exposed to, violence to become adults engaged in violence. For years we have seen anecdotal evidence of this, and now research studies have documented it. One study conducted by the National Institute of Justice showed that being abused or neglected as a child increased the likelihood of arrest as a juvenile by 59%, the likelihood of adult criminal behavior by 28%, and violent crime by 30% [1]. Importantly, this study high-lighted the very real impact that childhood neglect, not just physical abuse, has on an individual's likelihood to later engage in criminal behavior.

Abuse and neglect in childhood are examples of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) that lead to many poor outcomes later in life, including health challenges, substance abuse, and financial instability. Recently, studies have begun to focus on the connection between ACEs and involvement with the criminal justice system, including incarceration. This is an area where more work needs to be done, but early studies suggest a causal link between these experiences and behavior that leads to criminal charges later in life.

While setting a punishment which ensures accountability for wrongdoing is essential, a desire to stop continued criminal activity, or recidivism, requires that the underlying cause of the criminal behavior be addressed. When the criminal justice system's reaction pairs accountability with assessment and treatment, better outcomes can be achieved for the offender and for the community.

Acknowledgments

Potential conflicts of interest. N.L.F. has no relevant conflicts of interest.

  • ©2018 by the North Carolina Institute of Medicine and The Duke Endowment. All rights reserved.

Reference

  1. ↵
    1. Widom CS,
    2. Maxfield MG
    An Update on the “Cycle of Violence.” Washington, DC: National Institute of Justice; 2001. http://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/184894.pdf. Accessed January 12, 2018.
PreviousNext
Back to top

In this issue

North Carolina Medical Journal: 79 (2)
North Carolina Medical Journal
Vol. 79, Issue 2
March-April 2018
  • Table of Contents
  • Index by author
Print
Download PDF
Article Alerts
Sign In to Email Alerts with your Email Address
Email Article

Thank you for your interest in spreading the word on North Carolina Medical Journal.

NOTE: We only request your email address so that the person you are recommending the page to knows that you wanted them to see it, and that it is not junk mail. We do not capture any email address.

Enter multiple addresses on separate lines or separate them with commas.
Addressing Adverse Childhood Experiences in an Effort to End Criminal Offender Recidivism
(Your Name) has sent you a message from North Carolina Medical Journal
(Your Name) thought you would like to see the North Carolina Medical Journal web site.
CAPTCHA
This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.
1 + 2 =
Solve this simple math problem and enter the result. E.g. for 1+3, enter 4.
Citation Tools
Addressing Adverse Childhood Experiences in an Effort to End Criminal Offender Recidivism
N. Lorrin Freeman
North Carolina Medical Journal Mar 2018, 79 (2) 116; DOI: 10.18043/ncm.79.2.116

Citation Manager Formats

  • BibTeX
  • Bookends
  • EasyBib
  • EndNote (tagged)
  • EndNote 8 (xml)
  • Medlars
  • Mendeley
  • Papers
  • RefWorks Tagged
  • Ref Manager
  • RIS
  • Zotero
Share
Addressing Adverse Childhood Experiences in an Effort to End Criminal Offender Recidivism
N. Lorrin Freeman
North Carolina Medical Journal Mar 2018, 79 (2) 116; DOI: 10.18043/ncm.79.2.116
del.icio.us logo Digg logo Reddit logo Twitter logo CiteULike logo Facebook logo Google logo Mendeley logo
  • Tweet Widget
  • Facebook Like
  • Google Plus One

Jump to section

  • Article
    • Acknowledgments
    • Reference
  • Info & Metrics
  • References
  • PDF

Related Articles

  • No related articles found.
  • PubMed
  • Google Scholar

Cited By...

  • Responding to Adverse Childhood Experiences: It Takes a Village
  • Google Scholar

More in this TOC Section

Policy Forum

  • A Vaccine for Society
  • Overpromised and Underdelivered
  • Focus on Philanthropy : Investing in the Affordable Care Act and Expanding Medicaid are Critical to Statewide Health
Show more Policy Forum

INVITED COMMENTARIES AND SIDEBARS

  • A Vaccine for Society
  • Overpromised and Underdelivered
  • Focus on Philanthropy : Investing in the Affordable Care Act and Expanding Medicaid are Critical to Statewide Health
Show more INVITED COMMENTARIES AND SIDEBARS

Similar Articles

About & Contact

  • About the NCMJ
  • Editorial Board
  • Feedback

Info for

  • Advertisers
  • Authors
  • Reviewers
  • Subscribers

Articles & Alerts

  • Archive
  • Current Issue
  • Get Alerts
  • Upcoming Articles

Additional Content

  • Current NCIOM Task Forces
  • NC Health Data & Resources
  • NCIOM Blog
North Carolina Medical Journal

ISSN: 0029-2559

© 2021 North Carolina Medical Journal

Powered by HighWire