Psychological Impacts of Incarceration & the Role of Adverse Childhood Experiences on Male Adult Criminality: Meghalaya, India

The study examined the psychological impacts of incarceration and the effects of Adverse Childhood Experiences on male adult criminality on a sample of 31 male prison inmates (experimental group; N=31) (life imprisonment and rape convicts) and 30 non-prisoners (control group; N=30) aged between 25 – 60 years from Meghalaya, India. The tools used were Adverse Childhood Effects Questionnaire (ACE), Ryff’s Psychological Well-Being Scale (PWB), Rosenberg’s Self Esteem Questionnaire and Basic Needs Satisfaction questionnaire. Four hypotheses were tested using independent two-paired T-test. Needs satisfaction, psychological well-being and self-esteem showed no significant difference between the two groups. This has been corroborated by recent research stating that prisoners have higher self-esteem, psychological well-being & needs satisfaction than community members owing to their illusion of autonomy & superiority. The results obtained also showed significant difference among the prisoners and non-prisoners concerning the role of ACE in male adult criminality – the control group showed a higher mean ACE score than prisoners, hence suggesting that ACE does not necessarily lead to criminality. The demographic sheet indicated that 95% inmates belonged to lower societal class with divorced or single parent families and an educational level of being below Grade 10 as compared to the control group. The age-old concept of ACE leading to criminality is contradicted and debunked, as sociological theories like Chicago school and Anomie reinforce this study’s results, showing how one’s environment leads to human criminality.