Dr. Whitney Shares an Article in the Autism Spectrum News
Over the past 7-15 years, many forensic/clinical professionals working in the US criminal justice system recognize the need for significant change within the US criminal justice system for autistic individuals to be treated humanely and with dignity. “Recently, a diverse team of autistics, family members, researchers, criminal justice system professionals, and policymakers formed the Global Autism and Criminal Justice Consortium” (Lindsay Lawer Shea DrPH, 2021). The Global Autism and Criminal Justice Consortium,1 under the leadership of the Policy and Analytics Center, AJ Drexel Autism Center, Drexel University, released a policy brief in April 2022. This policy brief came after a world summit regarding the increasing rate with which individuals with autism are encountering the criminal justice system globally was held in October 2020. The policy brief outlines recommendations for change that span the US criminal justice system as well as criminal justice systems worldwide.
A case review and analysis of my forensic cases to date shows, autistic people are being overlooked and not given the support they need during initial law enforcement interactions and in the courts by attorneys and judges at the state and federal level. In addition, because of neurological, cognitive, and behavioral differences that exist in autistic individuals, research suggests that “autistic individuals may have more negative impact on autistic people’s mental health than that of non-autistic people.”
See More at:
https://autismspectrumnews.org/advocating-for-the-overlooked-needs-of-autistic-individuals-in-the-us-criminal-justice-system/