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Before Their Crimes: What We're Misunderstanding about Childhood Trauma, Youth Crime, and the Path to Healing

By (author) Wendy Smith





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Juvenile crime doesn't just happen—there is always a story behind it. Before Their Crimes: What We're Misunderstanding about Childhood Trauma, Youth Crime, and the Path to Healing is a ground-breaking book that sheds new light on the relationship of childhood trauma and juvenile crime. Wendy Smith uses the framework of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) to explain how the toxic stress of early childhood trauma can make children vulnerable to committing criminal acts. Smith draws from interviews with twenty men and women from across the racial and social divide who spent years in prison after committing serious crimes as children. Smith not only reveals the pernicious mechanisms that link early trauma to later crime, but also illuminates the potential for healing among even the most egregious offenders.

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Normally shipped | Enquiries only
Publisher | Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Published date | 22 Jan 2026
Language |
Format | Hardback
Pages | 304
Dimensions | 230 x 158 x 22mm (L x W x H)
Weight | 640g
ISBN | 979-8-8818-0203-5
Readership Age |
BISAC | social science / criminology


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