Summary
The author has summarized the current understanding of the effects of ongoing trauma on young children, how these effects impair adolescent and young adult functioning, and the possible implications of this for policing. The author further identifies that while any child exposed to violence in the home is at risk, children from poor communities of color tend to be at even greater risk due to their additional exposure to street violence. Because these poor communities of color are often the focus of police attention, the author notes that it is imperative that police appreciate the impact of trauma on the developing children and previously traumatized adults who live in such communities, as they continue to better understand and address the impact of race-based presumptions on policing.