Circumscribed interests and ‘offenders’ with autism spectrum disorders: a case-control study

Mock Juror Perceptions of Credibility and Culpability in an Autistic Defendant

“…The defendant’s crime and behaviour in court was portrayed in a manner consistent with ASD symptomatology and previous research on offending in ASD. This included aggressive behaviours that were reactive to high stress, invasion of personal space and disruption to routine (Allen et al 2008; Cea 2014; Freckelton and List 2009; Kanne and Mazurek 2011; Mouridsen et al 2008; Tint et al 2017), and brought about following the defendant’s pursuit of his circumscribed interest in trains (e.g., Barry-Walsh and Mullen 2004; Chen et al 2003; Hare et al 1999; Haskins and Silva 2006; Helverschou et al 2015; Woodbury-Smith et al 2010). The defendant also displayed high levels of anxiety and intolerance of uncertainty (Wigham et al 2015) alongside impaired social-communication, poor eye contact, sensory sensitivities, restrictive and repetitive behaviours, and a need for sameness (American Psychiatric Association 2013).…”

“…For a small minority of individuals, characteristics linked to clinical features of the disorder may be associated with engagement with the police and criminal justice system (CJS) as an offender (e.g., Cheely et al 2012; Heeramun et al 2017; Helverschou et al 2015; King and Murphy 2014; Lunsky et al 2018; Mouridsen 2012; Rava et al 2017; Tint et al 2017; Turcotte et al 2017; Vohra et al 2016; Woodbury-Smith and Dein 2014). 1 For example, obsessional or circumscribed interests and behaviours (e.g., Barry-Walsh and Mullen 2004; Chen et al 2003; Hare et al 1999; Haskins and Silva 2006; Helverschou et al 2015; Woodbury-Smith et al 2010), misinterpretation of rules (Allen et al 2008), failing to recognise the consequences of one’s actions (Howlin 2004), interpersonal naivety and poor social awareness (Haskins and Silva 2006; Murrie et al 2002), idiosyncratic interpretation of people and events (Helverschou et al 2015; Katz and Zemishlany 2006; Woodbury-Smith et al 2005), challenging behaviours (Tint et al 2017), sensory sensitivities (Katz and Zemishlany 2006; Mawson et al 1985) and difficulties relating to empathy (Bjørkly 2009; Murrie et al 2002), emotion recognition (Woodbury-Smith et al 2005), impulse control and emotional dysregulation (Lerner et al 2012) have all been implicated in various cases of autistic offending.…”

Asperger syndrome and criminal behaviour

“…Circumscribed interests that are pursued with abnormal intensity are a core diagnostic feature of autism-spectrum disorders. Contact with the criminal justice system can occur as a result of stealing to pursue an interest or simply because of the antisocial nature of the interest itself (Scragg 1994;Wing 1997;Hare 1999;Woodbury-Smith 2009). Other characteristics of Asperger syndrome that have been linked to criminal offending include lack of empathy, social naivety (Wing 1997), unusual passivity and a lack of awareness of the outcome of an action (Royal College of Psychiatrists 2006).…”

Clinical profile, risk, and critical factors and the application of the “path toward intended violence” model in the case of mass shooter Dylann Roof

“…Furthermore, for 29% of the participants, the 'index offence' appeared to be associated with their interest(s) (Woodbury-Smith, Clare, Holland, Watson, Bambrick, Kearns, and Staufenberg 2010). Lastly, in their paper, Barry-Walsh and Mullen (2004) detailed five cases involving individuals with ASD who have committed an offence.…”