Working with neurodivergent people in contact with the criminal justice system
Why read this evidence review?
In recent decades, policymakers have become increasingly aware that the inherent differences in how neurodivergent individuals engage with the world around them combined with the, arguably, neurotypical bias of the CJS can create barriers to fair and effective criminal proceedings. There is a well-established concern that neurodivergent people are both over-represented within and under-served by the CJS, experiencing poorer justice outcomes than their neurotypical counterparts.
In this evidence review a number of members of the Neurodivergence in Criminal Justice Network (NICJN) look at:
- Embedding lived experience in the development of policy and practice
- The Youth Justice System (YJS) and Neurodivergent Children and Young People (ND-CYP)
- Neurodivergent suspects and Policing (including custody)
- Neurodivergence in Criminal Courts
- Prison and Probation based Behavioural Change Programmes for Neurodivergent Individuals
- Getting started: How organisations can make their service more friendly to neurodivergent people.
An online evidence base for the voluntary sector working in the criminal justice system
This article forms part of a series from Clinks, created to develop a far-reaching and accessible evidence base covering the most common types of activity undertaken within the criminal justice system. There are two main aims of this online series:
- To increase the extent to which the voluntary sector bases its services on the available evidence base
- To encourage commissioners to award contracts to organisations delivering an evidence-based approach.
Each article has been written by a leading academic with particular expertise on the topic in question. The topics are selected by Clinks’ members as areas of priority interest. Clinks intends to build a comprehensive directory of the best evidence available across a wide range of criminal justice topics. The online evidence base is co-ordinated by Russell Webster on behalf of Clinks.
Click here to find out more about the Evidence library
Want to find out more about this topic?
Part of the 'A matter of fact: what the evidence tells us' series, to accompany our Evidence library, Clinks is giving you the chance to hear from the experts themselves. NICJN Coordinators Dr. Tom Smith, Associate Professor in Law (UWE Bristol), and Dr. Nicole Renehan, ESRC Research Fellow (Durham University), discuss the latest evidence on working with neurodivergent individuals in the criminal justice system.
Watch the video recording below: