Many clients receiving counseling or social services have experienced adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and other traumas. Trauma experiences can influence a person’s thinking, emotions, behavior, and sense of identity. These can, in turn, contribute to the emergence of behavioral patterns that result in harm to self and others. Further, systemic racism, economic disparities, and mass incarceration also serve as both the causes and consequences of trauma, often rooted in a long history of implicit bias.

Citizens in all communities continue to express concern regarding the risk posed by persons who have sexually offended. Legislators and law enforcement agents have attempted to manage risk by instituting measures of official control, such as sex offender registries, GPS monitoring, and residency restrictions. However, the scientific literature suggests that while such measures are high in face validity (and garner community support), they may not actually accomplish their intended goal.