Does child abuse cause crime
The National Fire Service were very concerned to discover, that a large proportion of those who commit arson in this country were the former victims of child abuse
• A survey of prisoners in Liverpool found that 80% of males and 90% of females were abused in childhood.
Why does it happen?
So how does abuse make survivors feel? Angry, depressed, unloved, abandoned, betrayed, neglected, undeserving of attention to name a few of the typical feelings. So do these feelings lead to a life of crime?
Although the abuse survivor does not always realise the abuse is wrong the internal confusion can lead to chaos. Inner anger turns to outer frustration.
Once aged 17/18 drink and drugs are used to numb the hurt feelings, nightmares, and daytime flashbacks. Acquisitive crimes to pay for the chemicals are inevitable if the survivor is unable to find employment.
The CICA argue that, the further away from the abuse the crimes are committed, the less likely there is to be a connection. To me, crime can start for reasons connected with the pubescent abuse, and becomes a way of life. Thus, there is a link.
Powerlessness
In later life, the inner anger most child abuse survivors feel towards their abuser can surface when triggered, and result in a crime of violence. The victim can be anyone who challenges the survivor, and attempts to render them powerless, because the experience is a repetition of the powerless feelings experienced when abused.
Dismissal from employment is not a crime per se, but arguments with bosses are commonplace for a victim of abuse. Once again a representative of authority is in a position of power. If the decision affecting the victim appears to be unfair, then this triggers feelings of powerlessness, and a violent argument may result. In a good case the outcome is dismissal, and in a bad case assault.
Conclusion
The limited survey above appears to illustrate that many residents of our custodial institutions are the victims of abuse in childhood, and that lack of care in infancy is responsible for the anti-establishment attitude, which is so common. Some prisons have help programs to help disclosure. How many others are there who, quite understandably, keep their past a secret?
• A survey of prisoners in Liverpool found that 80% of males and 90% of females were abused in childhood.
Why does it happen?
So how does abuse make survivors feel? Angry, depressed, unloved, abandoned, betrayed, neglected, undeserving of attention to name a few of the typical feelings. So do these feelings lead to a life of crime?
Although the abuse survivor does not always realise the abuse is wrong the internal confusion can lead to chaos. Inner anger turns to outer frustration.
Once aged 17/18 drink and drugs are used to numb the hurt feelings, nightmares, and daytime flashbacks. Acquisitive crimes to pay for the chemicals are inevitable if the survivor is unable to find employment.
The CICA argue that, the further away from the abuse the crimes are committed, the less likely there is to be a connection. To me, crime can start for reasons connected with the pubescent abuse, and becomes a way of life. Thus, there is a link.
Powerlessness
In later life, the inner anger most child abuse survivors feel towards their abuser can surface when triggered, and result in a crime of violence. The victim can be anyone who challenges the survivor, and attempts to render them powerless, because the experience is a repetition of the powerless feelings experienced when abused.
Dismissal from employment is not a crime per se, but arguments with bosses are commonplace for a victim of abuse. Once again a representative of authority is in a position of power. If the decision affecting the victim appears to be unfair, then this triggers feelings of powerlessness, and a violent argument may result. In a good case the outcome is dismissal, and in a bad case assault.
Conclusion
The limited survey above appears to illustrate that many residents of our custodial institutions are the victims of abuse in childhood, and that lack of care in infancy is responsible for the anti-establishment attitude, which is so common. Some prisons have help programs to help disclosure. How many others are there who, quite understandably, keep their past a secret?
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