Critical Perspectives on Childhood Trauma and Criminal Behavior: A Comprehensive Analysis

Introduction

In this essay, how the effects of trauma in a child’s home and social environment can increase the risk of that child committing criminal offences will be analysed critically. Using critical theories such as biopsychosocial development theory, the attachment theory, general strain theory, trauma, social disorganisation theory and the life course theory, how trauma experienced in the home/social environment can increase the risk of a child committing criminal offenses will be elaborated.

The factors that turn children into offenders

According to Wojciechowski (2019), the factors that contribute to young people becoming offenders include, family background and neighbourhood culture which can have enormous impacts on them. The researcher says that these criminal behaviours have been linked to the biopsychosocial development theory, the attachment theory, general strain theory, trauma, social disorganisation theory and the life course theory. Ladlow and Neale (2016) says that trauma can have a massive impact on any individual but children are most at risk due to their lack of life experience. Additionally, their brain and bodies are not fully developed and are more naïve about the world as compared to adults. Short (2018) says that added strain including family breakdown, poverty, and neighbourhood culture, as well as bullying can lead to more significant effects on the children, especially if they are not supported in the correct way by protecting their mental health and attitude towards the society, they live in. The researcher says that these strains sometimes cannot be helped or changed, and therefore, these children should not be punished because of their circumstances but supported within the correct practise guidelines.

The purpose or role of the justice system for the youth has been to reduce and stop the rate at which young people in adolescent or children are protected from becoming offenders Laverick and Joyce (2019). This protection came about with the introduction of the 1998 Crime and Disorder Act. Its main goal was to stop or eliminate the cycle of young people becoming offenders. The Act also allows the young people to reach their full potential by building a productive and fulfilling life. In order for the youth justice system to achieve this, the main focus was for the offenders to undergo rehabilitation. The system also enabled the youth to discover the factors that usually lead them to become offenders. The youth system’s first approach with regard to the child looks at young offenders under the age of eighteen as children rather than adults and emphasises why their cases should be dealt with differently considering the legal age and practice guidelines for arresting a child be arrested. It also emphasises on the importance of confidentiality and different appropriate routines or procedures to arrest and interview the young individuals. “Children in the justice system often have multiple and complex needs. The importance of following the right guidelines when dealing with children is emphasised by Argar (2019). Argar (2019) highlights that everyone in authority of caring for children should concentrate on addressing their needs rather than passing them through a justice system.

Eriksson et al. (2016) says that a child’s family background can have a significant impact on the likeliness of them engaging in criminal acts. This individual uses biopsychosocial development theory to explain the influence of families as an important factor in this issue. Using this theory, the researcher says that families can be criminalised and be viewed negatively in the public’s perception. The research show that another factor such as unemployment as a result of poor government policies can also affect the behaviour of young people. According to this researcher, unemployment leads to a strain in resources where the lack of basic items can lead the youth to engage in criminal acts like robbery.

Another research by Kratcoski (2018) says that socialising in estates, in large groups can influence how young people behave. This researcher says that due to peer pressure from such groups, young people are forced into following the behaviour of those surrounding them. Additionally, the individual says that how an individual speaks can build up an image of whether or not someone else portrays them as a criminalised family. Another important factor which influences the behaviour of young people according to Kratcoski (2018) is family. The individual says that family is vital in the life of a child as it is their first source of love and security hence influences the child’s brain development. The researcher says that family passes down its morals and values into the next generation and guides them with their personal views. As a result, it is the child’s initial source of socialisation. Therefore, what happens in the family such as breakdowns, abuse, unstable homes and bereavements can cause unresolved trauma from childhood into adulthood if not dealt with the correct way.

According to Wall (2017), there is also the attachment theory which is important for the development of the child’s brain pathways that result in their emotional wellness contributing to self‐regulation. Wall (2017) says that this theory relates to how a parent-child relationship forms influences a child’s development. A strong attachment with loved ones at a young age creates a secure base for relationship skills later in life as an adult. John Bowlby (1969) pioneered the idea of attachment as being an all or nothing process. Rutter (1981) disagreed with Bowlby’s theory of attachment and suggested that children can form multiple attachments with no harm being caused. According to Rutter (1981), individual differences based on each person’s characteristics, traits and vulnerability will respond to different stimuli in different ways, causing it to either have no effect, be beneficial or harmful.

Based on Rutter’s (1981) theory, it means that issues such as parental separation, deaths in the family and some types of trauma might not lead to criminal or negative behaviour, especially when with the right support in a child’s life. The theorists say that as a minor and whilst he/she grows, the family will teach the basic norms, morals, and how to deal with emotions and behaviour traits. This is also why trauma experienced in the home can lead to criminalised behaviour as children will pick up on these traits and see it as the normal way to behaviour and live and it is not until later in life.

The other critical theory is the general strain theory which refers to the link between delinquency and maltreatment, breakdown of parent-child relationships and the inability to achieve their goals (Hollist et al. 2009). This theory is also related or linked to the social control theory. Based on this theory, Hollist et al. (2009) says that challenges such as child abuse, neglect and rejection can lead to strain on a child resulting in criminal tendencies which are used by the child as a means to respond to their negative emotions. These researchers also link the strain theory to delinquent acts associated with entertainment and boredom. Corr (2014) also says that this may be due to the neighbourhood culture, low self-esteem or lack of parental supervision. According to Corr (2014), victims of crime or even those who witness criminal acts or delinquent behaviour with low self-esteem are more likely to take part or engage in impulsive or offending acts. These individuals say that continuous victimisation can cause anger, depression, psychological distress and delinquency. This argument is also supported by Hartinger-Saunders et al. (2019) who says that psychological distress is known to be caused by stressful events in the child’s surrounding, which cannot be avoided such as going to particular schools and interacting with particular people can cause negative impacts such as school failure and drug use.

Research has also demonstrated that schools have a great impact in children’s criminality tendencies (Deming, 2011). This individual says that school life is a probable time to become an offender and peer interaction models link criminal activity to disadvantaged neighbourhoods. This researcher says that being excluded from school can trigger the rise of involvement of a child in criminal gangs which are usually made up of minority males from poverty neighbourhoods.

Trauma and child crime

According to Popenoe (2017), breakdown of nuclear families usually sees a parent leave their family home and, in most cases, it is the father. This individual says that with such repeated changes in parental make up in the family, there can be an increase the risk of unstable intimate relationships between the young individual and their parent. The researcher says that such adverse childhood experiences lead to trauma which can impact the development of a child’s brain. Moreover, when the trauma is unresolved trauma, it can have an emotional affect resulting from a life threatening or an extremely frightening experience. This individual says that when such situations are not dealt with properly and efficiently in the right way, they can lead to long lasting negative effects to an individual’s mental health. For instance, the young person can experience anxiety, depression and nervous exhaustion. According to Popenoe (2017), having three or more changes in the family structure can cause an increase in stress which can affect how a child develops or forms relationships with other people in the future.

However, Olajide and Lizam (2017) says that the family approach does not take into consideration poverty affecting a majority of children and adolescents committing crime. Instead it places blame on bad family structures and poor parenting rather than an outlook of a link to poor family structures and youth offending as the result of poverty and structural problems. Problems including budget cuts mean the poorest families have to struggle and receive less financial and family support even though they need it most. This leads to the ideology that families are not responsible for their children entering the youth justice system as the problem has something to do with the fact that these families also need extra support. According to Olajide and Lizam (2017), poverty increases the risk of poor situational coping mechanisms meaning even if a child grows out of poverty when they reach adulthood, it has already caused effects on how such an individual deal with situations in the future.

According to Hayes (2018), unemployment among the youth and poverty in children are the root cause of riots in many countries around the world. Additionally, this institute highlights that besides such factors, strong personal relationships between friends and other people also influences a child’s behaviour as is shown by the integrated development theory. On a different note, some researchers such as Laub and Sampson (2006) say that there are other factors which reduced the chance of men engaging in criminality, such as marriage. While there are others which increase criminality among men, for instance, divorce.

According to De Coster et al. (2006), neighbourhood culture has a huge impact on young people and characteristics such as opportunities in the community, community relationships and whether the neighbourhood feels safe to those living in it can have a major effect on the community’s crime rate. This is shown through the social disorganisation theory which focuses on social capital which links family and community relations. This is elaborated by De Coster et al. (2006) who says that social capital is found the relationship which families have with their community organisation, particularly those which are useful in a child’s social and cognitive growth or development.

According to Sampson and Laub (2005), age graded life course theories brings forward the notion that crime is more likely to rise if a person’s connection to his or her society is damaged or broken. The theory includes the whole life span of an individual, emphasising that both long term and short-term changes can impact on an individual’s behaviour to become an offender. These researchers say that such these changes can also affect how long the offending will continue. These researchers highlight how the changes and the possibility of becoming an offender can be tackled. They offer two ways, one causing a long-term pattern of behaviour and the other one creating a different type of behaviour for a short time. According to Sampson and Laub (2005), changes in an individual’s life can cause either positive or negative effects. These findings show the importance of personal choice in determining behaviour and life paths or choices. The researcher claims that emphasises should be put on how under age people are treated and supported to observe any signs of trauma, risk factors or safeguarding issues within the home or social environment, particularly those which can result in mental health issues. This argument is supported by Elrod (2001) who says that it is essential for under age people to be seen as vulnerable in the eyes of the law, and that they should be supported and rehabilitated appropriately at the earliest stage to allow these young people to achieve a brighter future. And be active members of the society and prevent further criminalised behaviour. Dig deeper into A Timeline of Criminological Thought with our selection of articles.

Conclusion

In this essay, previous research has highlighted how trauma can be experienced by children at home and in their social environment. It has been demonstrated that such trauma can make a child to become delinquent or criminal tendencies and even engage in criminal acts. Some other reasons which have been raised include unemployment and child poverty which result in a train for resources. Research has also shown that the family is a critical influencer to the child’s behaviour and the norms followed by the family can easily be adopted by the young individual. Additionally, the family structure or those which one parent is always away can lead to a lack of bonding between the child and the parent and as a result can find solace in other social groups or gangs within their community. These groups can influence the child’s behaviour to engage in criminal activities. Different theories have also been used to explain on how a child can develop criminal tendencies.

References

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