Incarcerated children more likely to have had adverse experiences

Abstract

Children who experience trauma are more likely to develop delinquency, including substance use disorders, later on, and a new study shows that the vast majority of children who are incarcerated were traumatized earlier in their lives. In “Adverse Childhood Experiences in the New Mexico Juvenile Justice Population,” published last month by the New Mexico Sentencing Commission, the researchers show that the intervention is needed in these children's lives before they get involved with the justice system.