This is a practical guide for police officers and other first responders written by an autistic retired policeman, designed to demystify autistic behaviours and improve the treatment of autistic people caught up in the criminal justice system. Police officers and other emergency services are the first to arrive at the scene of an incident and it is vital they can recognise autistic behaviours and respond accordingly to avoid any escalation. This book lays out how to identify whether someone could be autistic and how officers can interact with them effectively and sensitively. Based on the author's many years of experience as a police officer it covers common scenarios such as stop and search, restraint and transportation, interviews and detention. For each potential encounter the book provides strategies, examples and tips to assist police in interacting safely and fairly with autistic people. In addition to police interactions, the book explains how to best respond to and assist autistic people through the Criminal Justice System and beyond.

Debbaudt explains how typical manifestations of autism spectrum disorders, such as running away, unsteadiness, impulsive behavior or failure to respond, may be misunderstood by law enforcement professionals, with serious consequences. For individuals with ASDs, he offers advice on how to behave in encounters with law enforcement professionals.

This book focuses on autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in the criminal justice system. Rather than being the perpetrators of offending behaviour, individuals with ASD are more likely to be the victims of crime. However, there is nevertheless a small subset of individuals with ASD who do offend, and this book provides an in-depth understanding of how certain features of ASD may provide the context of vulnerability to engaging in a number of types of offending behaviours. Chapters focus on arson or fire-setting; cybercrime (e.g., hacking); online sexual offending such as the viewing of indecent child imagery; offline sexual offending; violent crime; stalking; terroristic behaviour (including radicalisation and extremism); bestiality or zoophilia; and also extreme violence such as mass shooting and serial homicide. This book also outlines the ways in which a defendant with ASD may present in court and how they may exhibit behaviour which could be misinterpreted and perceived negatively, leading to an unfair trial. Lastly, it discusses the need to identify the impact that ASD can have on the capacity to form the requisite criminal intent and offers appropriate court adaptions to support individuals with ASD during court proceedings. This book is ideal for criminal defence lawyers and practitioners in psychology, psychiatry, and social work as well as policy makers and reformers.

For autistic people who find themselves facing a criminal charge, understanding how the features of autism may have contributed to their behaviour can be vital context for their defence. In this insightful book, Nick Dubin explores how and why autistic people get caught up in the criminal justice system. He delves into what steps can be taken to prevent autistic people committing crimes and what should be done to ensure their fair and appropriate treatment if they are charged with a crime. It covers everything from prevention to the aftermath of sentencing, including available counselling and therapy. Nick's personal experience and meticulous research shows that criminal justice can be an oppressive system that misunderstands and stigmatizes autistic people, especially low-risk individuals and those with less criminal responsibility.

The purpose of this study was to examine law enforcement officers' understanding of Austism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The current study examined law enforcement officers' general knowledge of ASD. Law enforcement participants watched a training video on ASD: Law Enforcement: Your Piece to the Autism Puzzle (Sahara Cares, 2007). The participants were given a questionnaire to assess their understanding of ASD prior (pre-test) to watching the training video. The participants were given the same questionnaire after (post-test) viewing the training video. It was hypothetical that there would be a significant differences between the training group and the control group on the amount of change in knowledge from pre- to post-training. Specifically, participants assigned to the active training would achieve higher scores than the control group. The results indicated that there was a significant difference between training groups in the amount of change in understanding from pre- to post-training. The results also indicated that after viewing the training video, the participants' confidence to interact with and identify individuals with ASD had significantly increased. The implications of this study, including the limitations and the areas of future research are discussed.

This book addresses an important and relatively neglected topic in the scientific literature: individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) who have dealings with the legal system. It examines issues and implications for autistic people, who have a significant risk for engagement with the legal system in some capacity (e.g., witness/bystander, victim, or perpetrator). Key areas of coverage include: Autistic people as victims and perpetrators of criminal activities, including violence, stalking, sexual exploitation, and cybercrime. Risks for unlawful behavior in individuals with autism and Asperger's. Legal assessment issues, such as witness protection and postconviction diagnoses. Legal outcomes for autistic people, including case law, prevention, service provisions in correctional settings, and rights and support systems. The Handbook of Autism Spectrum Disorder and the Law is an essential, comprehensive resource that explores the risk for unlawful behaviors affecting autistitc people as victims and perpetrators, as well as related issues of assessment and treatment, and outcome. It is a must-have reference for researchers, clinicians/practitioners, and graduate students in psychology, psychiatry, social work, and law, as well as professionals in such related fields, as criminology/criminal justice and the legal system.

This collection presents a summary of current knowledge regarding autistic suspects, defendants and offenders in the criminal justice system of England and Wales. The volume examines the interaction between each stage of the criminal justice process and autistic individuals accused or convicted of crime, considering the problems, strengths and possibilities for improving the system to better accommodate the needs of this vulnerable category of neurodiverse individuals. By explicating the core issues in this important but disparate area of study in a single place, the collection facilitates understanding of and engagement with knowledge for a wider audience of relevant stakeholders, including criminal justice practitioners, policy makers, academics and clinicians. It also incorporates key recommendations for improvement, thereby clarifying the urgent need for substantive change in policies and practices. The ultimate goal is to both improve the treatment and experience of autistic people subjected to criminal justice processes; and produce fairer, more appropriate systemic outcomes. While focused on the criminal justice system of England and Wales, the work will be valuable for researchers and policy makers working in similar systems, as well as those interested in neurodiversity more generally.