Looking Back to Move Forward: A Life-course Examination of Trauma and Desistance

CJ Appleton

Advisor: Cesar J. Rebellon, PhD, Department of Criminology, Law and Society

Committee Members: Charlotte Gill, Janani Umamaheswar, Shadd Maruna

Enterprise Hall, #318
April 08, 2025, 11:00 AM to 01:00 PM

Abstract:

Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) are sources of stress that children may suffer while growing up (e.g., abuse, neglect). Research on trauma and identity show that traumas that are integrated into a person’s sense of self are more likely to lead to identity disruption and negative outcomes (e.g., PTSD, risky behavior, crime). Additionally, the effects of trauma are lasting. In other words, if not addressed, traumatic events can continue to plague a person throughout their life-course. Research on the effects of ACEs has been increasing in criminology due to their high prevalence within justice populations. Even still, there remain a number of limitations. For instance, the current ACE framework mainly focuses on the traumatic experiences children face inside the home while largely ignoring their experiences outside the home in neighborhood or institutional contexts. Additionally, attempting to simply fold ACEs into current theoretical frameworks (e.g., control, strain) has limited our ability to understand the scope, severity, and duration of ACEs effects on individuals throughout the life-course. Finally, research on desistance has largely omitted ACEs from their conceptual frameworks, leaving childhood trauma as a significant gap in the literature. This dissertation examines the life-story narratives of a group of 43 Black and white desisters to address the gaps in our understanding of the role of trauma in the desistance process. In the first article, I make the case for expanding the ACE framework outside the home into the neighborhood and incarcerated contexts. The second article presents the concept of “traumatic reasoning” to show how participants use stories of childhood trauma to bring causal coherence to their onset narratives. The third article highlights the narrative scripts participants use to address their childhood traumas to find meaning and purpose in their lives.