Behavioral health expert weighs in on uptick in Memphis juvenile crime

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WMC) – As we move further into the summer of 2022, crimes involving Memphis teens are happening more and more.

In his weekly update, Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland wrote about several cases where teenagers, some as young as 13, are stealing cars and pointing guns at citizens.

Strickland writes:

The numbers we have recently reported on entertainment crime like carjackings, which were up 43% last year compared to 2020, are up another 63% this year.

“What we see is a reflection of unmet need,” said Dr. Altha Stewart.

Dr. Stewart is a psychiatrist, director of the Center for Youth Welfare and Advocacy at the UT Health Sciences Center.

He told us that while he recognizes that the behavior is criminal, as a professional he is looking for the root cause of this behavior.

She breaks it down into three types of Adverse Childhood Experiences, or ACEs, that can lead to poor health: Abuse, Neglect, and Domestic Dysfunction.

“These are children who are not in care, maybe they jump from one home to another because the original family – parents, grandparents or relatives – just can’t take care of them,” Stewart said. “These are homeless children, hungry, abandoned to their fate.”

In 2019, Stewart and her team delved into Shelby County’s juvenile justice system and applied verified methods to children’s records.

“Our own numbers suggested that up to 70% of children whose records had been reviewed had evidence of mental illness,” Stewart said.

Additionally, Dr. Stewart mentioned an ACE questionnaire, authored by Dr. Vincent Felitti and Dr. Robert Anda, that can help identify ACEs that may be occurring in a child’s home.

The questions are:

1. Did a parent or other adult in the home often or very often… curse at you, insult you, belittle you, or humiliate you? or did he act in a way that made you fear that he might physically hurt you?

2. Did a parent or other adult in the home often or very often…push, grab, slap, or throw anything at you? o Has he ever hit you so hard that you got marks or hurt yourself?

3. Has an adult or a person at least 5 years older than you… ever touched or fondled you or made you touch your body in a sexual way? o Did he or she actually have oral, anal, or vaginal intercourse with you?

4. Often or very often did you feel that… No one in your family loved you or thought you were important or special? o Did his family not take care of each other, feel close or support each other?

5. Often or very often did you feel that… You didn’t have enough to eat, had to wear dirty clothes, and had no one to protect you? o Were your parents too drunk or high to take care of you or take you to the doctor if you needed one?

6. Have you ever lost one of your biological parents through divorce, abandonment, or another reason?

7. Your mother or stepmother: Often or very often pushed, grabbed, slapped, or had something thrown at you? o Sometimes, often, or very often did she kick, bite, punch, or hit something hard? o Has she ever beaten you repeatedly for at least a few minutes or threatened you with a gun or knife?

8. Did you live with someone who was a problem drinker, alcoholic, or used street drugs?

9. Was a household member depressed or mentally ill, or did a household member attempt suicide?

10. Did a household member go to prison?

“If the answer is ‘yes’ to at least four of those questions, we can predict with some certainty that the behaviors we see in these children as adults are directly related to the insult that happened as children,” he described. Dr. Stuart.

The Center for Youth Welfare and Advocacy has only been around for 6 years, but has increased its community connections with churches and counseling centers.

Dr. Stewart believes that with more time to grow, those connections can lead to addressing the root cause and help reduce and prevent crime among Memphis children.

She understands that children who are in an abusive home may have difficulty accessing the help and resources available to them.

Anyone who is observing abusive behavior and wants to help in any way, Stewart asks that you call (901) 448-4200.

She says that if there is no answer, there will be a call back within 24 hours.

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