Adverse Childhood Experiences and Incarceration Among Men in the United States

To examine the association between adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and prior incarceration and its features in a contemporary, nationally representative sample of US men.

Data come from the 2022-2023 National Survey on Family Growth (NSFG), a cross-sectional survey of reproductive health, fertility, and family formation among a nationally representative sample of non-institutionalized, male and female household residents in the US (ages 15-49). The present study focuses on the adult male subsample, aged 18-49.

Findings indicate that ACEs are associated with prior incarceration in this sample of men, especially as ACEs accumulate (i.e., the adjusted predicted probability of incarceration for men reporting 5 or more ACEs is 0.23, compared to 0.05 for men reporting zero ACEs). While these patterns generally held across incarceration features, high ACEs exposure was particularly relevant for incarcerations of longer (v. shorter) durations (e.g., a year or more), and some of the largest point estimates occurred in the case of multiple (v. single) incarcerations and especially when examining 5 or more ACEs and recent incarcerations (i.e., past 12 months).

The impact of ACEs for formal criminal legal system contact appear to reverberate into adulthood and extend to incarcerations with particularly disadvantageous features (e.g., frequent, longer duration experiences). Considering the well-established implications of both ACEs and incarceration for myriad life domains - from health to education and employment to family life - the findings highlight the importance of early prevention and intervention efforts that disrupt pathways from early adversity to involvement in the criminal legal system.