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The Social Determinants of Health and the Root Causes of Crime

Benjamin R. David

District Attorney

New Hanover and Pender Counties

Wilmington, NC

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Prosecutors are often asked how we stay upbeat and positive after witnessing the death and destruction that comes with being exposed to the worst cases imaginable. The answer to that question lies in part in finding a balance. We search for the opposite of what we see in our cases: where we see sickness (addiction, stress, anguish, and disease) the members of my office focus on health (diet, exercise, sleep, and vacations). Where there is doubt, we look for certainty. We battle falsehoods with the truth. There is evil in the world but there is also good. Surrounding yourself with great people is essential, and where I work, they are in rich supply.

Members of my office thrive because they remain focused on doing the right things for the right reasons. They build up rather than tear down. They do important work, but don’t take themselves too seriously. They engage in physical activity. They appreciate what they have. They connect with family and friends. They show deep compassion and serve others.

While we sometimes experience secondary trauma in witnessing horrific events, we see acts of bravery and kindness far more often than cowardice and cruelty. As a prosecutor, I have seen the heroism of first responders and the benevolence of strangers daily. But what has affirmed my belief about the goodness of people, more than anything else, is meeting the people whom I have met along the way. If they, and their families, can still see the good in the world after having suffered unspeakable loss, it makes the daily inconveniences the rest of us suffer seem trite in comparison.

Victims like Maria have survived to tell their own stories, sharing their worst pain and their most private suffering in the presence of their attackers and the public. It is watching that courage that has inspired the rest of us to confront our own fears. It is their resiliency that has shown us that suffering can lead to a deeper sense of gratitude for the things you have.

Maria was not going to die in those woods, and she was not going to let Edwards steal her childhood. She made sure that the abuse ended with her by having the courage to find her voice in a courtroom.

Two hours into the nightmare of Maria’s disappearance, a beautiful rainbow appeared. (Click to last slide) Many remarked at the time, and later testified at trial, that it was one of the most beautiful skies that ever looked over Wilmington. During the frantic search to find a little girl, it seemed like cruel irony that something so wonderful should appear. Finding Maria alive seemed as elusive as finding a pot of gold beneath one of the colorful arches.

When the verdict was announced, I took Maria and her family into my office and gave them a large framed picture of that rainbow. Through timelines and witness interviews, we know that it appeared at almost the precise moment that Eva and Raul gathered with dozens of friends and neighbors to pray for their daughter’s safe return. Unbeknownst to them, Maria was doing the very same thing, alone in the woods, chained to a tree, a few miles away.

In the conference room where the members of my office regularly meet, a picture of that same rainbow is the only image that breaks up the otherwise bare walls. It is there to remind all of us to keep the same kind of perspective and to hold onto the same hope that Maria and her family clung to in their darkest hours. It is the same hope that we hold out for the future of the children we encounter in our jobs who have experienced trauma. The picture is there to remind us that even in the midst of storms, there is still beauty in the world.

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Pound of Cure

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True Gateway Drug: Childhood Trauma

1999

2001

2010

2019

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Do Not Label Victims

Change the noun to a verb

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Crime Mapping: Finding the Hot Spots

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The Youth Enrichment Zone

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No Structure at Home = Gangs On the Street

84 homes,

256 children,

4 fathers

(90% below poverty)

Adverse Community Environments

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Ten ACE Questions

Are your parents divorced?
Is either parent incarcerated?
Have you witnessed domestic violence in your home?
Is there drug use in your home?
Do you suffer from food insecurity or a lack of basic needs?
Do you lack emotional support from family at home?
Is there someone with mental illness in your home?
Have you been threatened or emotionally abused at home?
Have you been physically abused?
Have you been sexually abused?

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The Higher the ACE Score�

Court Involvement

Mental Health

Incarceration

Substance Abuse

Child Welfare

Domestic Violence

Poor Health

Drinking

Smoking

Obesity

the Greater the Risk of…

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Today’s Victim is Tomorrow’s Defendant��

What is wrong with you?�

What happened to you?

How do we build resilience?

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GOVERNMENT

FAITH

SCHOOLS

BUSINESS

NON-PROFITS

HEALTH

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Ronal Serpas, Former New Orleans Chief of Police

Charles McClelland, Former Houston Chief of Police

Charlie Beck, Los Angeles Chief of Police

Charlie McCarthy, Former Chicago Chief of Police

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School-Justice Partnership

2 out of 3 people in jail and prison are high school dropouts

Crime decreased by 28% when the graduation rate increased by 25%

Reduced Juvenile Petitions by over 50% with SJP

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Business: The CEO Challenge

Hometown Hires

Expungement Clinic

stepupwilmington.org

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Faith

harrelsoncenter.org

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Uniting the Resources for Collective Impact

Agency Specific Work

Data Driven Alignment

Collective Impact

capefearcollective.org

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Ounce of Prevention

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nhcbouncesback.org

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The Chief Justice’s Task Force on ACEs-Informed Courts

Mission

To enable judicial branch stakeholders to understand the impact on children of exposure to ACEs at an early age; and to develop strategies for addressing adverse consequences within the court system.

www.nccourts.gov/commissions/chief-justices-task-force-on-aces-informed-courts

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Education and Training

Conferences through the Administrative Office of the Courts

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Program Development

Treatment and Baby Courts

Navigator Positions

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Wellness

Finding the Good and Praising It

Ending the Stigma

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Benjaminrdavid.com