Report highlights autistic young people to be at greater risk of entering the criminal justice system
A report by the National Autistic Society highlights the views of autistic people, families and professionals on what needs to happen to prevent autistic young people’s involvement in the criminal justice system and the support they receive within the system. The number of young autistic people within the criminal justice system is over representative of society in general. The report ‘Experiences of autistic young people in the youth justice system’ details a number of reasons why this might be the case including:
- Lack of autism diagnosis and the presence of co-occurring conditions (including mental ill health)
- Lack of support from statutory services for families
- School exclusion
- Lack of support when autistic young people are at risk
When surveying parents, it became clear that for their children their main concern was their desire to ‘fit in’ which led to them being easily manipulated, getting in with the wrong people or being bullied into situations. Next identified was their child’s aggressive or violent behaviour, due to sensory overload, though support for this was not forthcoming or the underlying causes understood. Risk factors such as difficulty with socialisation and school exclusions were identified by professionals as high on the list. Of the autistic adults surveyed over 75% reported that the police had visited their home at least once and over half had been cautioned by the police at least once.
Once autistic offenders are in the system, the support, understanding and provision of reasonable adjustments have been highlighted as the key areas in which action needs to be taken.
