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Adverse Childhood Experiences Training

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In 2016, juveniles committed nearly 10 percent of violent crimes reported to law enforcement agencies, with two-thirds perpetrated by minors ranging between the ages of 15 and 18. Although the overall trend in crime has decreased significantly since 1997, youths continue to participate in and fall victim to violent crime at alarming rates. These experiences are often traumatizing and have adverse effects that children and adolescents carry with them throughout adulthood. Further, when people experience violence repeatedly, they sometimes believe that violence is normal and engage in crime to survive or respond to various issues in their lives. Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) have been shown to have extremely negative effects on physical and mental health in children, lasting well into adulthood. Communities and various actors in the criminal justice system have proposed that law enforcement can play a critical role in addressing crime by considering how ACEs may increase the likelihood that a person will be victimized or engage in violent crime.


This training educates and empowers law enforcement officers with the knowledge and practical tools needed to recognize and respond to children in at-risk environments and provide leadership, guidance, and trauma-informed support to mitigate the detrimental effects of ACEs. This training was centered on principles developed by assessing various training tools and resources focused on
ACEs. This training uses research, discussion questions, and videos to present the material in an engaging format and concludes with a case study designed to summarize and critically think about the topics covered.

Goal and Objectives:

• Explain what ACEs are and how they affect adolescents and adults.
• Identify the ways in which ACEs are correlated with violent crime and victimization.
• Identify best practices for law enforcement and criminal justice professionals to use in responding to and combating the effects of ACEs.

TTA Format: Available in person, or virtual via webinar or other available methods Intended Audience: Federal, state, and local law enforcement personnel.
Length:

This training is designed to be presented as a whole or in portions on a case-by-case basis, depending on what is most relevant to the site seeking technical assistance.

Agenda:

• What are ACEs?
• How do ACEs affect crime and victimization?
• What can be done to limit the effect of ACEs on crime?
• Community and law enforcement responses to ACEs
• Case study: successful state initiatives

SMEs/Trainers:

Dr. Deanee Johnson is a key player in advancing the victim services field at the federal, state, and local levels. She previously served as the chief program officer at the National Center for Victims of Crime, and currently is the CEO of her own consultant firm.

Dr. Johnson has over 20 years of experience in the crime victim field, working directly with victims and survivors, partnering with multidisciplinary professionals and teams to meet the needs of child victims and their families. She started as a volunteer mentor for adolescent sexual assault survivors in 1999 in Huntsville, Texas, and has since worked as a survivor specialist, child forensic interviewer, director of a statewide sexual assault coalition, and director of a court-appointed special advocates program in Southern Maryland. Most recently she has led the working group that focuses on the victim services component of the 2016 National Strategy for Child Exploitation Prevention and Interdiction out of the US Department of Justice, Office of the Deputy Attorney General.