ACElife - consequences of adverse childhood experiences and ways to prevent them effectively

Overview: 

ACElife produces longitudinal register-based research on the characteristics of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and how they impact individuals’ later lives, a broad evaluation of the effectiveness of current practices and services aimed at preventing ACEs and mitigating their negative effects, and an evaluation on how different forms of child maltreatment are identified in service systems. The project is divided into five work packages.

Work package 3:

Adverse childhood experiences are common among children and adolescents facing the criminal justice system. Not only do the most serious forms of abuse themselves lead to criminal sanctions, but adverse childhood experiences are linked both to the commission of crimes and to victimisation later in life. In the third work package, we will use extensive register data to provide up-to-date information on the prevalence of adverse childhood experiences among suspects and victims of crime, with a particular focus on the parties involved in juvenile delinquency.

Criminal procedure and the criminal justice system are designed to protect the rights of those involved, depending on their status. Particularly in the case of minors, the aim is also to ensure that the rights of the child are respected and the child is treated with due regard to their best interest. The interests of the child may be in conflict with those of the other parties involved and, in addition, the interests of the minors involved may be in conflict with each other. We will examine the specific requirements for the pre-trial investigation when the suspected offender is a minor, and will examine the kind of guarantees the criminal justice system provides for the realization of the children’s rights under the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. The work package will examine the adequacy of the legislation, related implementation practices and procedures, and provide concrete guidance to legislators and practitioners, where necessary, to improve the position of the child.

More information: https://acelife.fi/en