Pathways from Trauma to Criminogenic Risk Among Justice Involved People with Serious Mental Illness

Background: Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACES) are associated with increased impulsivity, aggression, antisocial behavior, and later life criminal justice involvement. Despite this, current criminogenic interventions do not address trauma as a driver of criminogenic risk. While large numbers of people with serious mental illness (SMI) are in the justice system, little is known about the connection between traumatic life events, criminal offending among individuals and SMI, and how this connection might impact treatment services for this population. The current paper addresses this gap by (1) examining the relationship between ACES and risk for criminal offending among justice involved people with SMI and (2) exploring whether this relationship is mediated by impulsivity and levels of aggression- both criminogenic needs that have a strong relationship with trauma and criminal offending.

Methods: This paper uses baseline data collected during a multi-phase study of a criminogenic intervention adapted for individuals with SMI delivered to both men (N=42) and women (N=22). Prior to the start of the intervention, data was collected on each individual’s total criminogenic risk score via the LS/CMI as well as on intervention treatment targets including the Barrett’s Impulsivity Scale (BIS), the Aggression Questionnaire Short Form (AQ-short), and the Measure of Criminal Attitudes and Associates (MCAA). An 18-item ACES measure was also administered. Between-group differences on the ACES measure were explored by gender via t-tests. Correlations were calculated between ACES composite score and treatment targets as well as total criminogenic score. Finally, mediation analyses using maximum likelihood estimation were conducted to examine the proportion of total effect between ACES and criminogenic risk level attributable to each treatment target.

Results: While the men in this study had a lower ACES score than the women (M=7.6; M=8.5 respectively), these differences were not found to be statistically significant. Among our sample, ACES score had a small-medium correlation with impulsivity (r=.27), criminal attitudes and associates (r=.38), criminogenic risk score (r=.43), and a moderate correlation with aggression (r=.50). The proportion of the total effect of ACES on criminogenic risk score mediated by aggression was .24, though not statistically significant in our sample (indirect b=.14, p=.07). The proportion of the total effect of ACES on criminogenic score mediated by impulsivity was .31 (indirect b=.18, p<.05). The proportion of the total effect of ACES on criminogenic score mediated by criminal attitudes and associates was .37 (indirect b=.22, p<.05).

Conclusion and Implications: In this study, childhood trauma was positively associated with criminogenic risk levels. Notably, both men and women reported significant levels of ACES in our sample. Furthermore, the relationship between ACES and criminogenic risk level appears to be mediated by criminogenic treatment targets that have been found to be strongly associated with reductions in criminal recidivism. These findings suggest that the effectiveness of criminogenic interventions for both men and women with SMI could be optimized by incorporating trauma informed treatment approaches in these interventions.