Disposable Children: The Prevalence of Child Abuse and Trauma Among Children Prosecuted and Incarcerated As Adults in Maryland

This report details the results of the first-ever state-wide Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) survey administered to people currently incarcerated for crimes they committed as children (under eighteen). The trauma measured from ACEs surveys include physical, sexual, and emotional abuse; physical and emotional neglect; separation from parents; mental illness or substance abuse in the home; parent or sibling incarceration; and domestic violence in the home. Our findings, as shocking and as tragic as they are, help to bridge our knowledge gap in understanding what happens to children in Maryland that leads them into the justice system.