Hard Childhood Linked To Adult Crime, Poor Health in Colo. Study

GOLDEN, CO -- A new study of Colorado adults shows a correlation between a difficult childhood and adult health problems, lack of productivity and criminal involvement. The study, by the Council for a Strong America shows that adults who report four or more "Adverse Childhood Experiences," or ACEs have a three-times higher risk of an arrest by age 18 and were three times more likely to have a felony charge by age 25. Kids with a higher number of bad childhood experiences also report more health problems, including obesity and depression, and report more health problems that interfere with work. According to the study, 15 percent of Colorado adults are thought to have had four or more ACEs.

The study also makes policy recommendations with input from Jefferson Co. Sheriff Jeff Schrader, a member of the national law enforcement group Fight Crime: Invest In Kids. Recommendations include investing in voluntary home visiting programs, screening children for ACEs, and providing mental health support in child care and preschool programs.

"As a sheriff and member of Fight Crime: Invest in Kids, I would like to focus on early adversity as a substantial risk factor for involvement in crime," Shrader said in a statement. "My main message about this new report is that we can build safer communities by addressing the root causes of crime, like ACEs."

Bad childhood events (ACEs) such as child abuse, neglect, and even parental divorce can "derail children’s development, both physically and mentally, and put them at-risk of chronic disease, depression, and other ailments later in life," a statement about the study's release.

The study found that early childhood adversity is correlated with a person's ability to get the education needed to work in the middle-skilled jobs for which the state of Colorado suffers a shortage of workers. Colorado persons who reported four or more ACEs were 50 percent less likely to finish high school.

The study also showed Colorado adults with four or more ACEs were more than twice as likely to have a chronic disease and 5.5 times as likely to suffer from depression compared to adults with no ACEs.

The study also found 70 percent of young adults in Colorado would not qualify for military service if they tried to enlist (nationally, the rate is 71 percent, the study said.) The most common reasons for disqualification for the military are 1) obesity or health problems, 2) failure to meet educational requirements, and 3) a record of crime or drug abuse. ACEs have been found in studies to correlate with illicit drug use and obesity.

The report made recommendations to increase voluntary home visits for at-risk families, such as the successful Nurse-Family Partnership (Colorado’s largest home visiting program). The report also recommended screening children for ACEs by "identifying children who are experiencing adversity and connecting them with appropriate services." The report also recommended putting into place early childhood mental health consultation programs.

Council for a Strong America identifies itself as a "national, bipartisan nonprofit that unites five organizations
comprised of law enforcement leaders, retired admirals and generals, business executives, pastors, and prominent coaches and athletes who promote solutions that ensure our next generation of Americans will be citizen-ready."

Read the Colorado report here.