Effects of Childhood Trauma on Children Development Essay Sample

90% of juvenile inmates have dealt with trauma from when they were younger. Past trauma for children normally comes from dysfunction in a household like domestic violence, neglect, and surrounding chaos. When your body is developing, growing up with a traumatic childhood can cause your adulthood to go differently than if you grew up with a supportive caring family. So the mindset of what is right and wrong is different. Meaning past trauma from a bad childhood influences a person's actions, because of abusive parents, abandonment, and bad surroundings.

The abuse of young children can influence the decisions they make later in life. For example, Trina Garnett grew up with an abusive father who would rape her mom and siblings. Her father was never there to support her or listen to her, so she felt like she needed something else which led her to make some poor decisions.  “Trina’s father, Walter Garnett, was a former boxer whose failed career had turned him into a violent, abusive alcoholic.” (124). This example shows that Trina grew up with a very violent father with made her feel like running away from home, to then live on the streets with her sisters. The way we are treated as children is going to determine how we treat and react to others.

Being left on the streets to support yourself when you are thirteen can cause lots of trauma affecting how you function. For instance, Ian Manuel was abandoned by his parents and was left to live on the streets without parental supervision or support. Making him more likely to get influenced by others who may not have his best interest at heart.“Ian for living in the streets, for not having good parental supervision” (128). This example shows that Ian was living on the street without his parents. Which meant he had no money and no home, so he needs to find a way to get money. Which he felt robbing someone with his friend was the best idea for him. But if he had parents that supported him he never would've needed to rob someone. Hence what happened to Ian, would explain why he robbed a woman for money.

Growing up in a gang neighborhood with abusive parents isn’t the best way to live your childhood, leading him to be influenced by these people and make the same bad decisions. To illustrate, Antonio Núñez grow up in a gang neighborhood with a father that would always abuse him since he was a little kid and a mother that didn’t care about his feelings. So he thought crime was a good decision.  “Antonio’s home life was turbulent as well. From the time Antonio was in diapers, he was endured beatings by his father, he also witnessed terrifying conflicts in which his parents would violently assault and threaten to kill each other.” (131). This example shows Antonio's surroundings drew him into a higher chance of trouble. Thus, what has happened to Antonio in his childhood would explain all the poor decisions he made because he didn’t fully understand what he did was wrong, instead of thinking it’s okay because everyone around him is doing the same thing.

Trauma, especially at a young age, influences some kids to get involved in criminal actions. Trauma impacts a person's choice especially if they went through abuse, abandonment, and bad surroundings by a parent. After seeing what some kids go through as children then the decisions they make, should they be doing life imprisonment or getting the help they need?