The Pains of Paramilitarism: The Latent Criminogenic Effects of Exposure to Paramilitary Violence among Young Men in a Post-Conflict Society

Whilst most people who experience adversity recover, there is a cumulative body of evidence that illustrates that the effects can be long lasting, and can even become debilitating over time. Links have been made between traumatic distress, mental health disorders and disturbances in behavioural and emotional regulatory systems that may in context elevate the risk of offending. Despite the burgeoning evidence around the criminogenic effects of adversity, few studies have examined the traumatic effects of paramilitary related adversity in the context of post-conflict Northern Ireland.

The aim of this study was to explore the latent impact of adversity and latent trauma among justice involved young men and identify potential criminogenic effects of exposure to paramilitary related adversity.

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