Adverse Childhood Experiences, Socio-Economic Status, and Criminal Behaviour: a Cross-Sectional Correctional Survey
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ORIGINAL ARTICLE
Adverse Childhood Experiences, Socio-Economic Status, and Criminal Behaviour: a Cross-Sectional Correctional Survey Olalekan Taoreed Kazeem 1 Accepted: 22 September 2020 # Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020
Abstract Crime has been the bane of the Nigerian society in recent times. This study investigated the influence of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and socio-economic status (SES) on criminal behaviour. The role of education qualification level on criminal behaviour was also examined. A standardized self-report questionnaire was administered to a purposively selected two hundred and fifty-three (n = 253) inmates in Agodi Correctional Centre Ibadan, Nigeria. The participants’ age ranged between 20 and 53 years with a mean age of 30 years (± 9.7). Findings revealed that 62 (24.5%) inmates committed armed robbery, 55 (21.7%) were charged for internet fraud, 47 (18.5%) were charged for property-related offences, while 35 (13.8%) committed murder. Adverse childhood experiences (family environment, peer violence, community violence, and exposure to war/collective violence) had significant independent and joint prediction on criminal behaviour (R2 = .78; F (4248) = 61.1; p = 01). Similarly, adverse childhood experiences had significant influence on general conflict tactic (R2 = .62; F (4248) = 11.2; p = .01), property crime (R2 = .37; F (4248) = 8.5; p = .05), interpersonal crime (R2 = .42; F (4248) = 10.5; p = .04), and drug crime (R2 = .61; F (4248) = 11.2; p = .02). Inmates with low economic status were more likely to commit violent crime than inmates with high SES (t (251) = 3.26; p = 0.02). Younger inmates (t (251) = 5.32; p = .01) and those with low education (t (251) = 4.11; p = 0.01) committed more violent crime than older and highly educated inmates. Ethnicity had significant influence on criminal behaviour (F (1, 252) = 6.27; p = .002). Attention needs to be shifted to management of childhood adversity and improving socio-economic status for crime control in Nigeria. Keywords Adverse childhood experiences . Socio-economic status . Criminality . Education
Background Crime has been the bane of the Nigerian society in recent times. No one seems to be insulated against its adverse effects as crime is now a palpable malaise which prevails virtually in every part of the country. The adverse effects of crime on the society have reached almost endemic proportions and cannot be over-emphasized. It goes well beyond loss and the considerable pain suffered by the victim of crime; it also discourages investment, growth, and sustainable development, inter-alia. Hence, it is imperative to understand and identify the factors that abet crime in society (Demombynes and Ozler, 2005). The Agodi Correction Centre houses inmates who have committed various crimes, all of some are expected to be * Olalekan Taoreed Kazeem [email protected] 1
Department of Psychology, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria
rehabilitated with possibility of returning to the society. The role of adverse childhood experience
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