Adverse childhood experiences (ACE) include traumatizing events to children such as being physically abused, observing cases of physical abuse, or observing drug and alcohol abuse as a kid. ACE has an adverse effect on the victims' later life, and the effect can be measured using the Advanced Childhood Experiences Scale. The scores from the scale are related to future incarceration, violence, mental health problems among other adverse outcomes. The study aims at comparing the ACE scores against the Level of Service Inventory-Revised (LSI-R) scores. The latter is commonly used in the assessment of the offender risk.
II. Purpose of the Research
To establish the degree to which adverse childhood experiences predict risk for re-offense among the convicted offenders.
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III. Theories : What Theories or models are discussed?
One of the theories as posited by Latesa and Holsinger in the research is that placing low-risk offenders and high-risk offenders together raise the recidivism rate for low-risk offenders (Moore & Tatman, 2016). Latesa and Holsinger posit that there are several risks and protective factors that help aggravate or reduce the chances of reoffending. The above include education, self-control, and vocational levels. Further, scholars state that when an offender possesses more protective factors, they stand lower risks of re-offending. These protective factors are the knowledge and skills that one acquires in their childhood. Notably, the kids learn most of these factors from their family and friends early in life. On the other hand, the negative experiences in childhood hinder the child's ability to acquire the protective factors.
Additionally, the paper states that early childhood behavior in a child is a predictor to future offending (Moore &Tatman, 2016). Case in point, antisocial tendencies in kids are linked to future criminal behaviors such as drinking, gambling, low self-control, and loitering. As a result, the theorists recommend that all negative experiences, which hinder the development of protective factors in a child increase the kids' likelihood of engaging in the criminal justice system.
Another proposition or theory is that kids who are raised by parents who lack behavioral skills of management;therefore, engaging in conflict, are more likely to be delinquent kids. On the contrary, supportive families protect their children from such exposures.
Another interesting theory in the study as posited by Farrington, Lambert, and Barnes posit that having a convicted family member predicts the boy child’s future incarceration. The above is also confirmed by yet another study conducted by Farrington et.al. The above study stated that the incarceration of a father was the largest predictor of a son’s incarceration in future. Another very important finding in the study is that children who undergo neglect and abuse normally perpetrate crime in their adulthood (Moore &Tatman, 2016). In a study by Maxfied, he performed an experiment in which he established that kids who are maltreated have a 27% higher chance of being convicted as juveniles and 42% higher chance of being incarcerated as adults. The same was true for the children who were physically abused as kids. These kids became future offenders as the above research identified that twenty years after the abuse the kids are more likely to be arrested for criminal offenses.
Further, theorists claimed that higher ACE scores were closely associated with increased intimate partner violence whereby people abuse their partners intensely. At the same time, the higher scores are associated with suicide attempts because most of the victims of childhood abuse hardly get over the abuse in their adulthood. Consequently, it results in depression and suicide levels among the victims. At the same time, it has been established that ACE causes a 40% increase in the victims’ mental issues. Another model that was established is that ACE aggression and self-esteem are majorcauses of depression among incarcerated females.
IV. Research Method
A. Sample/subjects
The study used 141 people who were on probation and parole from a correction agency in Midwestern correction agency that was community-based. Moore &Tatman (2016) included gender, race, and age controls to determine if the ACE score would be influenced by demographic factors. The participants’ average age was 33.99, with a standard deviation of 10.40. Further, the study used 59 females who composed 41.8% of the study and 82 males composing 58.2% of the entire team. Moore & Tatman (2016) also conducted a t-test to establish the ACE scores that exist between genders. The difference between males and females was insignificant since in ACE for females was M= 4.04 and S.E =3.11 and for males S=4.02 and SE=2.93. There were also more whites in the study than nonwhites as 112 or 79.4% and nonwhites were 29 or 20.6%.
B. Data Collection method and procedure
The participants filled a questionnaire that had ten true-false statements all measuring the adverse experiences that the participants went through during their childhood. For each yes, the participant was accorded 1 mark and for no, they were accorded 0. Therefore, the maximum mark one could attain was ten and the minimum 0. The scale was also reliable since the Cronbach alpha was .76.
At the same time, the study used the LSI-R assessment tool, which is the commonest tool in America that measures offender risk. The tool has 54 questions in ten areasincluding education, employment, alcohol use, drug use, family status, criminal history, among others. The responses determine if the offender is given a high or a low LSI-R.
Prior to doing the survey, Moore &Tatman (2016) conducted an intensive literature review to find out what other scholars had to say about the topic. Among the topic of interest in the literature review were the protective and risk factors that cause offenders to re-offend. The review also focused on the effect of early childhood learning and how it can be used to determine the rate of offense. At the same time, Moore &Tatman (2016) observed how the violence of parents affects how the kids respond in their relationships and behavioral traits in their adulthood. Still, it focused on how the incarceration of a family when the child is growing up predetermines the incarceration of the child later in life.
Other factors that were addressed in the literature review were the effect of childhood neglect and childhood physical attack. The authors were keen to know if these could cause children to become violent members of the society. Other factors observed were effects physical abuse on kids.
C. Ethical Issues
Moore &Tatman (2016) do not advocate for ACE scores to replace other tools like LSI-R, which are used for assessing risks. Nevertheless, they state that the ACE scale can be used to provide a quick reference to the risk that an inmate possesses. Later the other tests can be conducted. The authors also state that they do not know any correctional body that uses ACE as an initial tool for assessment. They say that although ACE tools have been used before, they were used for texting depression, violence, and suicide attempts before they entered the correctional facility. Consequently, the authors recommend further studies that can examine the relationship between ACE scores and other assessment scales.
Furthermore, the authors posit that their analysis does not intend to suggest that individuals who experienced ugly childhood events will always experience negative issues in their adulthood. They state that there are many people who had ugly childhood experiences but their adult lives were eventless.
D. Measures/variables (What were the major dependent and independent variables and how were they measured or manipulated?
The ACE Scale was employed for measuring the number of times a participants experienced traumatic events in childhood. On the other hand, the LSI-R was used to measure the chances of re-offense among offenders (Moore &Tatman, 2016). Regression analysis was also employed to measure if the happenings of traumatic events in a child's life can predict the future risk of re-offense.
V. Results (What were the major findings? Were the hypotheses and theory supported?)
The results revealed that the ACE scores among offenders considerably predicted the risk of re-offense. Undeniably, ACE is an accurate predictive measure to assess the likelihood or risk of re-offense in an offender. The above supported the hypothesis, which was geared towards establishing the relationship between ACE and the risk of offense.
Another finding from model 1 was that ACE questionnaire is not a predictor of higher LSI-R. Model 2 revealed that when age is used as a control factor, a higher ACE score is a predictor of higher LSI-R scores. Model 3, which used gender as a control,revealed that a higher ACE score predicted scores in LSR-1 scores. On the other hand, model four, which used race as the control factor also revealed that LSI- R increased with an increase in ACE score. Model 5, which used all the three control factors, revealed that higher ACE scores were an indication of higher LSI-R scores. Overall, the prediction suggested that adverse childhood issues predict a risky future for the kids. The research also confirmed what other scholars had established: LSR-I is the most common tool used to assess criminals risk in America. The tool is a perfect predictor of recidivism.
VI. Summary statement or paragraph for the paper
As earlier mentioned, the study concluded that people with a high ACE score have more chances of being repeat offenders. The high ACE scores were associated with a plethora of future adversities such as recidivism, violence in adulthood, and substance abuse. Moreover, higher ACE scores are linked to higher levels of chronic disease and poor health. In addition, most times it predicts premature mortality and limits an individual in functional activities during adulthood.
However, the main limitation of the study is that it was conducted in an urban setting in the mid-western region. Consequently, the results cannot be generalized to more rural and generalized settings. The authors state that there is a need for further research in the future to find out if the results can be replicated or generalized to other settings.
Moreover, most of the participants , (79.4%) , were Caucasian communities and the sample is not representative of the world population. There is need to conduct more studies to tell if the study applies to more culturally diverse populations.
The scientists conducted applied research that can help the scientists and psychologists to solve the current problem of re=offending. Case in point, people with high ACE can be rehabilitated in the proper way while parents can be helped in providing a supportive environment for their kids.
References
Moore, M., &Tatman, A., (2016). A Review of the Article “Adverse Childhood Experiences and Offender Risk to Re-offend in the United States: A Quantitative Examination. Internat
