Health and Justice

Question 1

What are examples of direct harm to a child and the environment which may cause adverse childhood experiences?

Answer 1

direct harm to the child:

• physical abuse
• verbal abuse
• sexual abuse
• physical neglect
• emotional neglect

environment:

• parental separation
• mental ill health
• domestic violence
• drug / alcohol misuse
• incarceration

Question 2

What are the main risks associated with experiencing 4+ ACEs (adverse childhood experiences)?

Answer 2

• 4x increase in high risk drinking
• 14x more likely to be a victim of violence in previous 12 months
• 15x more likely to have committed violence against someone in previous 12 months
• 16 x more likely to have used crack cocaine or heroin
• 20 x more likely to have been incarcerated

Question 3

What is shown in this image?

Answer 3

the effects of chronic toxic stress on the brain

Question 4

How does the number of ACEs experienced influence mental health and violence?

Answer 4

as the number of ACEs experienced increases, the chance of vioence / mental ill health also increases

Question 5

What is meant by mental health and violence showing an intergenerational nature?

Answer 5

relating to, involving or affecting several generations

the question most related to a violent offence was whether they had witnessed domestic violence

Question 6

What is meant by “the system” when it comes to dealing with the consequences of childhood trauma?

Answer 6

• police - prosecution vs diversion
• courts - custody vs community service
• prison - remand vs sentenced
• probation - NPS vs CRC
  
  • unpaid work
  • accredited programme - DV, sex offending
  • activity requirements - education, training

Question 7

What factors influence the wellbeing of an offender?

Answer 7

• housing
• money
• addiction
• mental health
• physical health
• education and employment
• relationships
• learning disability
• domestic violence

Question 8

What is the average life expectancy of a white male on the streets?

Answer 8

45

Question 9

How is unemployment related to mental health?

Answer 9

unemployment or unstable employment is associated with an increase in suicide and poor mental health

probation figures locally show an association between employment status, mental health and reoffending

Question 10

How many people in prison have ADHD?

Answer 10

1 in 4 of the prison population have ADHD

Question 11

In prison populations, which mental illnesses are present?

Answer 11

• 12% have psychosis
• 53.8% have depressive disorder
• 26.8% have anxiety
• 34.2% have personality disorder
• 33.1% have dependency on alcohol
• 57.1% have dependency on drugs

Question 12

How can we help improve the wellbeing of an offender?

Answer 12

• identification of need in vulnerable individuals at each stage
• community support - L&D, P3, WY-FI, WYCCP
• community orders, ADHD clinic, prosecution diversion, etc.
• recognition throughout criminal justice that “health” and crime are related
• societal improvement through reduced offending

Question 13

What are the barriers in place that prevent us from helping the wellbeing of an offender?

Answer 13

• clunky fragmented system with individual parts working in silos
• duplication
• capacity
• outdated IT systems
• NHS, private sector, third sector all trying to coordinate and cooperate but governed by 3 sets of commissioners
• individuals not always willing to accept help