Divergent perspectives: autistic adults' perceptions of the police

Abstract

PurposeMuch of the current criminological research regarding police and the autistic community focuses on police training for interacting with autistic individuals or the experiences, fears and perceptions of parents or caregivers. Largely absent from the criminological research are the opinions and perceptions of autistic adults. The purpose of the paper is to examine perceptions of the police and police-led initiatives among these individuals.Design/methodology/approachThe authors analyze data from 121 autistic adults regarding their perceptions of the police and police-led autism awareness efforts using ordinary least squares (OLS) regression. Variables of interest include perceptions of procedural justice, police treatment of autistic individuals, fear of interacting with police and perceptions of police autism awareness campaigns.FindingsFindings indicate that autistic respondents vary in perceptions of the police. Prior negative experiences with police have a stronger influence on perceptions than do positive experiences. Support for awareness campaigns is also varied.Originality/valueDespite high-profile police incidents involving autistic individuals, there have been no empirical examinations of autistic adults' global perceptions of the police or police-led autism awareness campaigns. The current study addresses that oversight by directly examining autistic adults' perceptions. The approach is particularly salient given the ongoing police public scrutiny surrounding officer interactions with individuals from special populations, which is largely uninformed by research centering the voices of impacted individuals.

The informal, nonorganizational ways police officers receive training on encounters with autistic individuals

“…, 2021). For example, in an examination of perceptions of the police among autistic adults, Parry and Huff (2022) find that women and non-gender conforming individuals held more negative perceptions of the police, in part based on prior negative interactions.…”

“…To date, most literature on police contact with autistic individuals comes from the perspective of either autistic individuals (Davenport et al, 2021;Rava et al, 2017;Tint et al, 2017Tint et al, , 2018 or their parents, guardians and loved ones (Wallace et al, 2021). For example, in an examination of perceptions of the police among autistic adults, Parry and Huff (2022) find that women and non-gender conforming individuals held more negative perceptions of the police, in part based on prior negative interactions.…”

Intellectual, Developmental, and Physical Disabilities in U.S. Legal Settings: A Scoping Review

“…Another article reviewed the nature of police interactions with autistic people through a review of news stories, finding that about 22 percent of incidents involved an altercation, 7 percent resulted in injury to an autistic person, and 4 percent resulted in the autistic person's death (Copenhaver and Tewksbury, 2019). There was also a study exploring how autistic adults perceive law enforcement, finding that past experiences with law enforcement were associated with the degree to which autistic adults perceive police officers as procedurally just (Parry and Huff, 2022). Wallace and colleagues (2022) described behaviors that law enforcement should be aware of when interacting with autistic people, including failure to maintain eye contact, not answering questions, and difficulty communicating, among others.…”

Police contact with individuals with intellectual or developmental disabilities: a special issue introduction

“…Experiences of those with I/DD While there are studies that investigate how police and individuals with I/DD cope with challenges during interactions, largely absent from the literature are studies that investigate the perspectives of individuals with I/DD. Parry and Huff (2022) provide a multifaceted investigation of how autistic people experience procedural justice (i.e. fair treatment at the hands of the police), how they rate their treatment when in police custody, how they assessed their own fear of interacting with police and how they interpret attempts by police to address autism awareness through changes in their uniforms and vehicle decorations.…”