The Adverse Childhood Experiences Paradigm and Forensic/Correctional Populations: A Scoping Review

ABSTRACT

As adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are increasingly referenced in criminology, several factors question the salience of ACEs to forensic and correctional populations in both the juvenile and adult criminal justice systems. Here, our scoping review of 99 studies examines the ACEs paradigm and its application to forensic/correctional populations by (1) synthesizing research on ACEs among diverse forensic/correctional populations, particularly youth but also among adults for whom childhood and adolescent adversity has sentencing implications, (2) highlighting intervening processes which mediate, moderate, or redirect the effects of ACEs, and (3) identifying methodological issues and potential confounding effects that pose validity threats to ACEs as an explanatory variable among adolescent and adult offenders and regarding downstream justice system outcomes (e.g., recidivism). When mediating variables are considered, the association between ACEs and antisocial conduct is substantially reduced. Among juvenile offenders, temperament, social bonds, current drug use, or psychopathic features account for 40%–100% of the associations between ACEs and recidivism, gang association, or serious, violent, and chronic offending. These intervening effects are so substantial that studies should migrate from simple ACE‐offending designs to more complex, ecologically valid models which specify ACEs as a distal predictor, preferably using longitudinal data. In terms of forensic practice, assessment establishes validity only by respecting the unique experience of the individual rather than homogenizing reactions to abusive home environments, or other circumstances that fractured the family unit. Forensic examination should not overlook downstream life circumstances regardless of their statistical association with ACEs. As a person matures, adult events and experiences more directly influence criminal choices and criminal activity relative to adverse experiences during childhood.