The following column is the opinion and analysis of the writer.
We all make choices, right or wrong, in our lives. Some are minor and we move on, while others can change the course of our lives and who we have the potential of becoming. One significant consequence of poor choices is prison. Unfortunately, the U.S. has the highest incarceration rate in the world at 724 people per 100,000. Russia has the second-highest incarceration rate at 581 per 100,000.
What does this mean? For me, it was one of the many startling statistics I learned while attending and helping facilitate the Arizona town hall on “Strong Families, Thriving Children” held at the Whetstone Unit recently. My thinking has been forever changed.
The process unfolds with community members and inmates sitting together and answering a set of questions developed deliberately to serve the process of finding recommendations for the topic at hand. We spent the morning and lunch hour exploring how to create stronger families and what the best environments might be for raising children. One early theme from the inmates at my table was their acknowledgment that they made the wrong life choices. They didn’t make excuses for why they ended up in prison.
Then the conversation changed when we turned to questions involving Adverse Childhood Experiences, or ACEs, as they are often called. As defined in the town hall background report, ACEs are traumatic events that take place in children’s lives before age 18. These events harm developing brains and bodies so acutely that the effect shows up decades later. Arizona has the highest rate in the nation for the percentage of children, birth to 17, who experience two or more ACEs. Many of these factors will bring you to your knees, including tales of recurrent physical abuse, sexual abuse, a mother who suffers domestic violence, emotional or physical neglect, and many others.
When asked how many ACE factors impacted each inmate, every one of them, and many community members, raised their hands. The response to this simple question created a paradigm shift for me. We all have perceptions of why so many in our society choose to make the wrong choices and end up in prison, yet we have no idea what their childhood experiences were that might have led them to where they are now.
The conversation at our table around ACEs and what we can do to mitigate their effect was sincere, encouraging and hopeful. I then asked. “How many of you had issues with chronic absenteeism in school?” The answer was 100%.
The Arizona town hall convenings end with inviting each participant to make a personal commitment. I am now working to bring what I learned in this town hall to the attention of more people and organizations in our community. Our local United Way’s “Cradle to Career” is among those focused on the impact of ACEs.
I will work to focus on helping organizations to reduce chronic absenteeism, which can result from some of these ACE factors. I’ve been educated on these critical issues that shape the very fabric of our society and often determine why Arizona has one of the top incarceration rates and spends over $1B a year on its prison system. Through prevention, through supporting families and children who live in our community, we can play a role in reducing the traumatic experiences that might often lead people to make poor choices and unravel their lives.
As we head into the holiday season giving thanks for family and community, we might want to think and take action on the ways we can make strong families for those all around us. To do so, please read the recommendations report found at www.aztownhall.org.
