ACEs, Places and Inequality: Understanding the Effects of Adverse Childhood Experiences and Poverty on Offending in Childhood

Abstract

Over the last three decades, an extensive body of research evidence has emerged on the relationship between adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and a range of negative outcomes, including offending. Using data from a Scottish child cohort study, this article seeks to better understand how both ACEs and material deprivation influence childhood offending. We show that while the number of ACEs is a strong predictor of childhood offending, certain types of childhood adversity are of greater importance than others. We also find that living in persistent poverty at the neighbourhood level remains a key predictor of childhood offending, but there are complex interactions between poverty and ACEs that should be considered in developing policy responses.