Are autistic people disadvantaged by the criminal justice system? A case comparison / Rachel SLAVNY-CROSS in Autism, 27-5 (July 2023)  

Public ISBD [article]  inAutism > 27-5 (July 2023) . - p.1438-1448 Titre : Are autistic people disadvantaged by the criminal justice system? A case comparison Type de document : Texte imprimé et/ou numérique Auteurs : Rachel SLAVNY-CROSS, Auteur ; Carrie ALLISON, Auteur ; Sarah GRIFFITHS, Auteur ; Simon BARON-COHEN, Auteur Article en page(s) : p.1438-1448 Langues : Anglais (eng) Mots-clés : autism;criminal justice;meltdown;reasonable adjustments;shutdown Index. décimale : PER Périodiques Résumé : The UK government identified "improving support within the criminal justice systems" as a priority for autistic people. There is a lack of quantitative research to enable policymakers to make evidence-based decisions on how to improve access to justice for autistic people. This study used a case-comparison design to compare the experiences of 145 autistic and 116 non-autistic adults who had been arrested at some point in their life. Autistic participants were nearly five times more likely to state that they were not given an appropriate adult even though they believed they needed one and felt less able to communicate with the police. Autistic participants felt less able to cope with stress, twice as likely to have experienced meltdowns and five times more likely to have experienced shutdowns because of their criminal justice involvement. We conclude that there are inequalities that autistic people face when navigating the criminal justice system and the degree to which they can participate effectively in the justice process. This has an impact on their mental health. Policy recommendations are discussed based on this evidence. Lay Abstract Most autistic people will never experience being arrested or charged with a crime, however for those who do tend to be less satisfied with the way they were treated. The purpose of this study was to find out if autistic people are being disadvantaged by the criminal justice system if they are arrested. Previous research has shown that autistic people may have difficulties communicating with the police. This study builds on this knowledge by uncovering why autistic people may not feel able to communicate with the police and whether the police made any adjustments to help them. This study also measures the impact of being involved with the criminal justice system on autistic people?s mental health, such as stress, meltdowns and shutdowns. The results show that autistic people were not always given the support they felt they needed. For example, not all autistic people had an appropriate adult with them at the police station who could help to make sure they understood what was happening around them. Autistic people were also more likely to feel less able to cope with the stress and more likely to suffer meltdowns and shutdowns because of their involvement with the criminal justice system. We hope this study will help police officers and lawyers to better support autistic people if they become involved with the criminal justice system. En ligne : http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/13623613221140284 Permalink : https://www.cra-rhone-alpes.org/cid/opac_css/index.php?lvl=notice_display&id=507 [article] Are autistic people disadvantaged by the criminal justice system? A case comparison [Texte imprimé et/ou numérique] / Rachel SLAVNY-CROSS, Auteur ; Carrie ALLISON, Auteur ; Sarah GRIFFITHS, Auteur ; Simon BARON-COHEN, Auteur . - p.1438-1448. Langues : Anglais (eng) in Autism > 27-5 (July 2023) . - p.1438-1448 Mots-clés : autism;criminal justice;meltdown;reasonable adjustments;shutdown Index. décimale : PER Périodiques Résumé : The UK government identified "improving support within the criminal justice systems" as a priority for autistic people. There is a lack of quantitative research to enable policymakers to make evidence-based decisions on how to improve access to justice for autistic people. This study used a case-comparison design to compare the experiences of 145 autistic and 116 non-autistic adults who had been arrested at some point in their life. Autistic participants were nearly five times more likely to state that they were not given an appropriate adult even though they believed they needed one and felt less able to communicate with the police. Autistic participants felt less able to cope with stress, twice as likely to have experienced meltdowns and five times more likely to have experienced shutdowns because of their criminal justice involvement. We conclude that there are inequalities that autistic people face when navigating the criminal justice system and the degree to which they can participate effectively in the justice process. This has an impact on their mental health. Policy recommendations are discussed based on this evidence. Lay Abstract Most autistic people will never experience being arrested or charged with a crime, however for those who do tend to be less satisfied with the way they were treated. The purpose of this study was to find out if autistic people are being disadvantaged by the criminal justice system if they are arrested. Previous research has shown that autistic people may have difficulties communicating with the police. This study builds on this knowledge by uncovering why autistic people may not feel able to communicate with the police and whether the police made any adjustments to help them. This study also measures the impact of being involved with the criminal justice system on autistic people?s mental health, such as stress, meltdowns and shutdowns. The results show that autistic people were not always given the support they felt they needed. For example, not all autistic people had an appropriate adult with them at the police station who could help to make sure they understood what was happening around them. Autistic people were also more likely to feel less able to cope with the stress and more likely to suffer meltdowns and shutdowns because of their involvement with the criminal justice system. We hope this study will help police officers and lawyers to better support autistic people if they become involved with the criminal justice system. En ligne : http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/13623613221140284 Permalink : https://www.cra-rhone-alpes.org/cid/opac_css/index.php?lvl=notice_display&id=507

Autism and the criminal justice system: An analysis of 93 cases / Rachel SLAVNY-CROSS in Autism Research, 15-5 (May 2022)  

Public ISBD [article]  inAutism Research > 15-5 (May 2022) . - p.904-914 Titre : Autism and the criminal justice system: An analysis of 93 cases Type de document : Texte imprimé et/ou numérique Auteurs : Rachel SLAVNY-CROSS, Auteur ; Carrie ALLISON, Auteur ; Sarah GRIFFITHS, Auteur ; Simon BARON-COHEN, Auteur Article en page(s) : p.904-914 Langues : Anglais (eng) Mots-clés : Adult  Autism Spectrum Disorder/psychology  Autistic Disorder  Criminal Law  Humans  Police  Surveys and Questionnaires  autism  criminal justice  mitigation  offending  reasonable adjustments Index. décimale : PER Périodiques Résumé : We investigate whether autistic people's vulnerability is taken into account at each stage of the criminal justice system (CJS). Defense lawyers from 12 nations were included in the study although the sample was predominantly from the UK. Lawyers completed an online survey regarding one case in which they had defended an autistic client between January 2015 and January 2020; and on one case in which they had defended a nonautistic client charged with a similar offense, to provide a comparison group. Ninety-three lawyers (85% in the UK) reported on one autistic case, and 53 also reported on one nonautistic case. 75% of autistic clients were not given reasonable adjustments during the process. Only 43% were offered an appropriate adult during police investigations, even though they had an existing diagnosis of autism. 59% of prosecution barristers and 46% of judges said or did something during the trial that made the lawyers concerned that they did not have an adequate understanding of autism. Lawyers were 7.58 times more likely to be concerned about their autistic client's effective participation in court and were 3.83 times more likely to be concerned that their autistic clients would engage in self-harm, compared with their nonautistic clients. There is a failure to identify and address autistic peoples' disability within the CJS. There is a need for mandatory autism training for police officers and the judiciary, with a focus on identifying autism and understanding the needs of autistic people so that reasonable adjustments are offered in all cases. LAY SUMMARY: This study sought to investigate if the needs of autistic people are being overlooked by the police and other professionals within the CJS. Results show that autistic people are not always given the support they need during police questioning or in court. The experience of being involved with the police may also have a more negative impact on autistic peoples' mental health than that of nonautistic people. En ligne : http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/aur.2690 Permalink : https://www.cra-rhone-alpes.org/cid/opac_css/index.php?lvl=notice_display&id=473 [article] Autism and the criminal justice system: An analysis of 93 cases [Texte imprimé et/ou numérique] / Rachel SLAVNY-CROSS, Auteur ; Carrie ALLISON, Auteur ; Sarah GRIFFITHS, Auteur ; Simon BARON-COHEN, Auteur . - p.904-914. Langues : Anglais (eng) in Autism Research > 15-5 (May 2022) . - p.904-914 Mots-clés : Adult  Autism Spectrum Disorder/psychology  Autistic Disorder  Criminal Law  Humans  Police  Surveys and Questionnaires  autism  criminal justice  mitigation  offending  reasonable adjustments Index. décimale : PER Périodiques Résumé : We investigate whether autistic people's vulnerability is taken into account at each stage of the criminal justice system (CJS). Defense lawyers from 12 nations were included in the study although the sample was predominantly from the UK. Lawyers completed an online survey regarding one case in which they had defended an autistic client between January 2015 and January 2020; and on one case in which they had defended a nonautistic client charged with a similar offense, to provide a comparison group. Ninety-three lawyers (85% in the UK) reported on one autistic case, and 53 also reported on one nonautistic case. 75% of autistic clients were not given reasonable adjustments during the process. Only 43% were offered an appropriate adult during police investigations, even though they had an existing diagnosis of autism. 59% of prosecution barristers and 46% of judges said or did something during the trial that made the lawyers concerned that they did not have an adequate understanding of autism. Lawyers were 7.58 times more likely to be concerned about their autistic client's effective participation in court and were 3.83 times more likely to be concerned that their autistic clients would engage in self-harm, compared with their nonautistic clients. There is a failure to identify and address autistic peoples' disability within the CJS. There is a need for mandatory autism training for police officers and the judiciary, with a focus on identifying autism and understanding the needs of autistic people so that reasonable adjustments are offered in all cases. LAY SUMMARY: This study sought to investigate if the needs of autistic people are being overlooked by the police and other professionals within the CJS. Results show that autistic people are not always given the support they need during police questioning or in court. The experience of being involved with the police may also have a more negative impact on autistic peoples' mental health than that of nonautistic people. En ligne : http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/aur.2690 Permalink : https://www.cra-rhone-alpes.org/cid/opac_css/index.php?lvl=notice_display&id=473

Prevalence and functional impact of social (pragmatic) communication disorders / Jo SAUL in Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 64-3 (March 2023)  

Public ISBD [article]  inJournal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry > 64-3 (March 2023) . - p.376-387 Titre : Prevalence and functional impact of social (pragmatic) communication disorders Type de document : Texte imprimé et/ou numérique Auteurs : Jo SAUL, Auteur ; Sarah GRIFFITHS, Auteur ; Courtenay F. NORBURY, Auteur Article en page(s) : p.376-387 Langues : Anglais (eng) Index. décimale : PER Périodiques Résumé : Background The aim of this study was to evaluate the Children's Communication Checklist-2 (CCC-2) for measuring social-pragmatic communication deficits and to ascertain their prevalence and functional impact in a community sample. Methods We used parent and teacher responses to the CCC-2 to approximate inclusion (poor social-pragmatic skills) and exclusion (poor structural language skills or autistic symptomatology) criteria for social (pragmatic) communication disorder (SPCD). We tested the prevalence of social-pragmatic deficits in a population-based sample of children (n=386) aged 5-6 years old using CCC-2 algorithms. We also investigated the academic and behavioural profiles of children with broadly defined limitations in social-pragmatic competence on the CCC-2. Results Regardless of the diagnostic algorithm used, the resulting prevalence rates for social-pragmatic deficits indicated that very few children had isolated social-communication difficulties (0-1.3%). However, a larger proportion of children (range: 6.1-10.5%) had social-pragmatic skills outside the expected range alongside structural language difficulties and/or autism spectrum symptoms, and this profile was associated with a range of adverse academic and behavioural outcomes. Conclusions A considerable proportion of children in the early years of primary school has social-pragmatic deficits that interfere with behaviour and scholastic activity; however, these rarely occur in isolation. Exclusionary criteria that include structural language may lead to underidentification of individuals with social-pragmatic deficits that may benefit from tailored support and intervention. En ligne : https://doi.org/10.1111/jcpp.13705 Permalink : https://www.cra-rhone-alpes.org/cid/opac_css/index.php?lvl=notice_display&id=493 [article] Prevalence and functional impact of social (pragmatic) communication disorders [Texte imprimé et/ou numérique] / Jo SAUL, Auteur ; Sarah GRIFFITHS, Auteur ; Courtenay F. NORBURY, Auteur . - p.376-387. Langues : Anglais (eng) in Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry > 64-3 (March 2023) . - p.376-387 Index. décimale : PER Périodiques Résumé : Background The aim of this study was to evaluate the Children's Communication Checklist-2 (CCC-2) for measuring social-pragmatic communication deficits and to ascertain their prevalence and functional impact in a community sample. Methods We used parent and teacher responses to the CCC-2 to approximate inclusion (poor social-pragmatic skills) and exclusion (poor structural language skills or autistic symptomatology) criteria for social (pragmatic) communication disorder (SPCD). We tested the prevalence of social-pragmatic deficits in a population-based sample of children (n=386) aged 5-6 years old using CCC-2 algorithms. We also investigated the academic and behavioural profiles of children with broadly defined limitations in social-pragmatic competence on the CCC-2. Results Regardless of the diagnostic algorithm used, the resulting prevalence rates for social-pragmatic deficits indicated that very few children had isolated social-communication difficulties (0-1.3%). However, a larger proportion of children (range: 6.1-10.5%) had social-pragmatic skills outside the expected range alongside structural language difficulties and/or autism spectrum symptoms, and this profile was associated with a range of adverse academic and behavioural outcomes. Conclusions A considerable proportion of children in the early years of primary school has social-pragmatic deficits that interfere with behaviour and scholastic activity; however, these rarely occur in isolation. Exclusionary criteria that include structural language may lead to underidentification of individuals with social-pragmatic deficits that may benefit from tailored support and intervention. En ligne : https://doi.org/10.1111/jcpp.13705 Permalink : https://www.cra-rhone-alpes.org/cid/opac_css/index.php?lvl=notice_display&id=493

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