Majority of girls prosecuted, sentenced as adults faced abuse: Survey

At The Hill, Cheyanne M. Daniels reports on a new survey showing more than 90 percent of women in prison who were tried as adults for crimes committed childhood lived through adverse childhood experiences, with the impact of trauma on their mental health further exacerbated by incarceration:

“A majority of girls who are prosecuted as adults in the U.S. have experienced some form of abuse or victimization prior to their system involvement, according to a new report.

Survey results, published this week by Human Rights for Kids (HRFK), found more than 90 percent of the women incarcerated since childhood experienced four or more adverse childhood experiences (ACE), such as physical, sexual or emotional abuse. 

More than 92 percent of survey respondents said they experienced a parent or household adult often swearing at them, insulting them, humiliating them or acting in a way that made them afraid they might be physically hurt. 

Roughly 84 percent reported that a parent or adult in their household often pushed, grabbed, slapped or threw something at them hard enough to leave marks, per the survey. Just less than 85 percent also said they had been touched, fondled or forced into intercourse with an adult at least five years older than them. . . . 

Girls of color make up 60 percent of women who have been incarcerated since childhood. . . . 

The victimization and trauma children face can then exacerbate existing mental health conditions as the result of childhood trauma. Children incarcerated in adult facilities also face a higher risk of suicide than their peers in juvenile detention facilities.

Instead of prioritizing punishment, the HRFK report recommends focusing on trauma-informed systems of care for children.”

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