Cripping criminology

Abstract

The position of disabled people within criminal justice frameworks and scholarship is one of ambivalence, which leaves disabled people in the simultaneous and contradictory position of centrality and marginality. While disabled people are over-represented within the criminal justice system (as offenders, victims, and witnesses), their voices are often marginalized or silenced. So too, while disabled people are over-represented within the criminal justice system, they remain under-explored in policy, practice, research, and scholarship. Aligning with the shift to queer and queering criminology, in this article we deploy the lens of ‘crip’ and ‘cripping’ to facilitate a more critical engagement with the concerns of disabled people, along with the mechanisms by which abledness informs criminal justice encounters.

A vulnerability inspired Universal Design of Justice

“…It criminalizes non-normative behavior, fails to accept variable communication styles and speeds, and damages the body and mind. At every step of criminal justice involvement, as a perpetrator or a victim, the system fails to equitably respond to disability, making the experience more difficult than for nondisabled people (Thorneycroft and Asquith, 2019).…”

“…This paper’s approach is inspired by my work on intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DDs) and the criminal justice system. People with these disabilities are more likely to experience both victimization and criminal justice involvement (Fogden et al., 2016; Petersilia, 2001; Scheyett et al., 2009; Thorneycroft and Asquith, 2019; Wood et al., 2019). For this work, I have studied the issues people with these disabilities experience in the system and possible solutions for them.…”

Divergent perspectives: autistic adults' perceptions of the police

“…, 2013; Skogan, 2005; Weitzer and Tuch, 2005). It is well known that the chances of interacting with the police or having a negative police interaction are not evenly distributed: individuals in vulnerable, marginalized and oppressed populations are more likely to experience these encounters (Kahn and Martin, 2016; Thompson and Kahn, 2016; Thorneycroft and Asquith, 2021). The neurodiverse community, specifically autistic individuals, is one such vulnerable population [1].…”

Where specialist and mainstream service systems collide: The National Disability Insurance Scheme in prisons

“…Despite comprising a substantial proportion of the prison population, insufficient consideration is given to the presence and needs of people with disability within carceral environments (Doyle, Dodd, et al., 2022; Human Rights Watch, 2018). As a result, people with disability in prison are simultaneously everywhere and yet invisible (Thorneycroft & Asquith, 2021), helping to maintain an ableist prison environment, regime, and culture that simultaneously overlooks, compounds, and further punishes disability. Limited access to communication support and other necessary adjustments can hinder a person with disability's capacity to participate in health, education, employment, rehabilitation, and pre‐release programs, leading to decreased well‐being during incarceration and possibly delaying their release from prison (Australian Human Rights Commission, 2014).…”