FARGO (KFGO) – A recent study of male inmates at the Cass County Jail shows a startling correlation between childhood trauma and the likelihood of incarceration.
UPSTREAM Growth Consultants of Fargo recently completed an Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) study, first conducted nationally at Kaiser Permanente in the mid-1990s. The study uses a scaled 1-10 system (one being the lowest indicator of childhood trauma, ten being the highest) to measure the correlation between childhood trauma and future emotional, social and health problems.
The ACE study examines 10 areas of childhood trauma. Each area of trauma a person experiences receives a point. The more areas of trauma experienced, the higher the final score. As the figures show, 67.5% of male inmates at Cass County Jail scored a 4 or higher on the ACE study. In comparison, the national study showed only 9% of males experienced a score of 4 or higher. With a score of 4 or higher, the risks of suicide, drug use, alcoholism, anxiety, and depression increase by as much as 1200%.
In fact, the overall results of Cass County inmates were exactly opposite of those in the national study. The percentage of inmates in Cass County Jail that experienced trauma increased significantly as ACE scores increased, whereas the percentage of participants that experienced trauma in the national study decreased as ACE scores increased.
Staffed by Certified Personal Empowerment Facilitators, UPSTREAM GrowthConsultants help individuals learn immediate and long-term emotional and cognitive skills to process conflict, life challenges, and communication difficulties.
