Scars of childhood linger long into the future

By Andrew Stone and Jan Corbett

Since it was fenced off within the Ministry of Justice, the Department of Corrections has put renewed emphasis on reducing reoffending.

As many as half the violent offenders who leave prison reoffend. So Corrections psychologists have been trying to unravel what makes someone violent.

While there is no single cause, they have identified a predominant factor - many grew up in violent, dysfunctional homes.

Bridget White is head psychologist at the new violence prevention unit at Rimutaka Prison.

Among the 20 young men who have volunteered for the eight-month programme - evenly split between Pakeha, Maori and Pacific Islanders - she sees the traits of men who were neglected as children.

None talks about being influenced by movies or video games. All talk about what they witnessed or how they were treated as children.

Because of the abuse and neglect, they have not learned to connect with people and have no empathy for others' feelings or viewpoints. Nor have they learned to think through the long-term consequences of their actions, a common feature in all criminals. As a short-term strategy, says Bridget White, violence is extremely effective.

"It gets them what they want in an instant."

Social worker Ken McMaster, who has worked with violent men for 17 years, says that because they either witnessed or suffered excessive violence as children, they see it as the only way to respond.

What is more, children ignored at home have to look for other role models - and that is where the media do come in. Abused or neglected children are most likely to adopt a fictional macho male as their mentor.

The role-model vacuum is apparently so strong in these children, says Mr McMaster, that a programme designed to scare bad, fatherless teenagers away from crime by taking them inside prisons backfired disastrously.

"They saw strong, articulate men and said, 'I want to be like them'."

Neglected, unloved children also grow into emotionally insecure adults who develop unhealthy dependencies on sexual partners.

"So when their partner says they're going out, for instance, they become anxious."

That anxiety can then turn into violence.

But not all children who grow up in violent, abusive and neglectful homes will perpetuate the cycle.

"Some who have grown up with violence take a strong stand against it," says Mr McMaster. They are the ones who have formed a strong attachment with someone in the family and they will also excel at something in their lives.

So the male child of a violent father who has his mother's love and affection and grows up to be an All Black or a famous novelist is less likely to resort to violence than the boy nobody loved who couldn't kick the ball between the goalpost, or read or write a clear sentence.