Why putting kids in prison increases the odds of future criminality.
Compromised attachment occurs when there is loss, disconnection from primary attachments. When kids are imprisoned, they learn not to rely on close attachments for their emotional needs. 1/7
Compromised attachment occurs when there is loss, disconnection from primary attachments. When kids are imprisoned, they learn not to rely on close attachments for their emotional needs. 1/7
Kids thrive based on their worlds being predictable. That the love and support of primary attachments are there in a predictable & consistent way. Lose that at a young age & evidence shows it is almost impossible to recover from this loss. 2/7
The results are you develop in kids the idea that you cannot rely on anyone to consistently love or support you. Outcomes consistent with the personality variables of those who have ‘nothing to lose’ and fail to fear anything anymore, including prison.3/7
We know compromised attachment gets passed into future generations & relationships. We are seeing this in practical action in which there are generationally incarcerated cohorts of kids who make up the bulk of crime stats& who often have a family member who has been imprisoned4/7
We know exposure to criminality, whilst not ensuring this pathway, certainly increases the odds of it, particularly given the virtual absence of early intervention and prevention programs.5/7
Studies show 80% of kids in prison have trauma. Those with trauma tend to be more impulsive & limited in their capacity to self soothe& calm. Placing traumatized kids with traumatised kids creates an environment that ensures heightened reactivity to others becomes normalised 6/7
We are already seeing a lot of youth & adult crimes that are highly impulsive & reactive to interpersonal conflict 7/7.
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