Police encounters with people with intellectual disability: prevalence, characteristics and challenges

Henshaw, Marie; Thomas, Stuart

doi:10.1111/j.1365-2788.2011.01502.x

Cited by 46 publications

(66 citation statements)

References 35 publications

(44 reference statements)

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“…For example, the Prison Reform Trust's No One Knows research programme (Jacobson, 2008) highlighted particular challenges relating to the inconsistent treatment of offenders with learning disabilities and mental health difficulties due to acknowledged difficulties from front-line police officers in identifying their needs and responding appropriately (also Bailey, Barr & Bunting, 2001;Cant & Standen, 2007;Gendle & Woodhams, 2005;Henshaw & Thomas, 2012;Keilty & Connelly, 2010). This is in a context where it is estimated that 20-30% of all offenders in the UK '…have learning difficulties or learning disabilities that interfere with their ability to cope within the criminal justice system; of this group 7% will have very low IQs of less than 70' (Jacobson, 2008;p.…”

Section: Convention On Rights Of Persons Withmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Indeed, Talbot (2010) interviewed 154 prisoners with learning difficulties or disabilities and found that over twothirds had experienced difficulties with reading and completing written forms and information within the CJS. detained person and the professionals within the CJS (Henshaw & Thomas, 2012). For example, Jacobson (2008) recommended that one of the ways in which policy and practices for supporting offenders with learning difficulties and disabilities can be improved is through '…providing more accessible written information and forms ' (p.36).…”

Section: Convention On Rights Of Persons Withmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Vulnerability in custody: perceptions and practices of police officers and criminal justice professionals in meeting the communication needs of offenders with learning disabilities and learning difficulties

Parsons

Sherwood

2016

Disability & Society

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AcknowledgementsWe are very grateful to our funding partner organisations for facilitating access to custody centres and potential participants. The partner organisations agreed the general focus of the pilot project and also supported initial access to research sites and participants. The conduct of the research, including choice of interviewees, lines of questioning and the analysis and interpretation of the data were decided and managed independently by the authors. We thank all of our participants for their generosity with time and willingness to participate in the research. 2 Points of interest People entering the Criminal Justice System (CJS) who are young and / or have a learning disability or difficulty are often found to experience problems in understanding their rights and entitlements. Those who work within the CJS have a responsibility for communicating clearly to anyone who is considered vulnerable to ensure they understand their rights in custody. This project piloted the use of a more accessible format of the rights and entitlements notice, using Widgit symbols, and asked professionals within the CJS about their experiences of using the accessible notice within custody. IntroductionQuestions have been asked about the extent to which the Criminal Justice System (CJS) '….takes adequate account of the structural, institutional barriers for disabled people' (Diesfeld et al., 2008). One of the major structural barriers for disabled people in the UK is the provision of written information in non-accessible forms (Talbot, 2010). This paper is situated in the context of a project that piloted and evaluated the use of an accessible 'rights and entitlements' notice designed for young people and vulnerable adults i in police custody (Parsons & Sherwood, 2015). The notice incorporated Widgit Symbols and was trialled in two custody centres with positive indications for future use (Parsons & Sherwood, in press).We focus on the views of custody personnel and other CJS professionals about the challenges and practices of supporting the communication needs of vulnerable people in custody, including those with learning disabilities and difficulties ii , as a way of illustrating how at least some structural barriers might be ameliorated through the use of accessible information. The Rights and Entitlements noticeOne of the most critical aspects of information provision within the CJS in the UK is at the point when someone is taken into custody. Under the statutory obligations of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act (PACE) 1984 Section C, custody officers must ensure that a person is giving a written notice that sets out their three main continuing rights in custody [the right to have someone informed of their arrest; the right to consult privately with a solicitor and that free independent legal advice is available; and the right to consult the full Codes of Practice], as well as the arrangements for obtaining legal advice; their right to a copy of the custody record; and the police caution. A detained person mus...

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Section: Convention On Rights Of Persons Withmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Convention On Rights Of Persons Withmentioning

confidence: 99%

Vulnerability in custody: perceptions and practices of police officers and criminal justice professionals in meeting the communication needs of offenders with learning disabilities and learning difficulties

Parsons

Sherwood

2016

Disability & Society

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“…Although many officers and most likely other emergency service workers will perceive themselves as proficient in situations with the developmentally disabled, they may not be as capable as they think they are (Modell & Mak, 2008; Chown, 2009). Relatedly, Henshaw & Thomas (2012) investigated the difficulty among Australian police in differentiating the Intellectually Disabled (ID) from the mentally ill. The authors note overconfidence among police personnel when dealing with the ID population (Henshaw & Thomas, 2012).…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The advocacy group Autism Speaks has launched a global autism public health initiative in 42 countries around the world. Beyond U.S.-based research, autism studies have focused on populations in the United Kingdom (Chown, 2009); Australia (Henshaw & Thomas, 2012); South Korea (Grinker & Cho, 2013; Leevers & Kazemi, 2013); and Israel (Matson, Worley, Fodstad et al, 2011). The issues discussed in the present study speak to a larger audience.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The training of New Jersey emergency service first responders in autism awareness

Kelly

Hassett-Walker

2016

Police Practice and Research

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This study investigated the extent and adequacy of training among New Jersey first responders (e.g., police, firefighters, emergency medical technicians) specifically as relates to a 2008 state law mandating that autism and hidden disability recognition and response training be conducted. The results show that a significant percentage of emergency service personnel have not completed the state mandated training. Recommendations for improving the training, such as by involving parents, advocates, and field and training personnel as a part of the training process, are discussed.

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“…Regarding interractions between police and people with an González 4 ID, whether victims or perpetrators, it is agreed that there isn't sufficient training (Bailey, Barr, & Bunting, 2001, Crown Prosecution Service, 2009Henshaw & Thomas, 2011). This is especially evident when obtaining their witness statements (Cedeborg & Lamb, 2008;Cedeborg, Danielsson, La Rooy & Lamb, 2009;Clare & Gudjonsson, 1995, Stacey, 1999, and the same could be said for the other actors in the criminal proceedings, including lawyers, judges, and prosecutors (Mercier & Crocker, 2010;Vanny, Levy, Greenberg & Hayes, 2009).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Prevalence of disabled people involved in Spanish Civil Guard's police activity

González

Cendra

Manzanero

2013

Research in Developmental Disabilities

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Improving interventions with victims and offenders with disabilities requires analysis of the degree of prevalence of crimes in which these people are involved. For this purpose, data regarding interventions made by the Spanish Civil Guard between 2008 and 2010, in which 2,099 people had some kind of disability, have been collected and analyzed, with particular regard to criminal offenses (felonies and/or misdemeanors). In this study, the relationship between the types of disability a person has and other variables like their connection to the incident, their gender, age, the relationship between victim and perpetrator, and the time and place of the events were all taken into consideration. The results show that most of the victims with disabilities served by the Spanish Civil Guard were male. The interventions were mainly aid and rescues. Criminal offenses were only 20% of the events.

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Police encounters with people with intellectual disability: prevalence, characteristics and challenges

Abstract: Future training needs to focus on differentiating between mental illness and ID, techniques for enhancing identification and communication, and the inclusion of hands-on scenario-based sessions involving an interdisciplinary approach.

Cited by 46 publications

References 35 publications

Vulnerability in custody: perceptions and practices of police officers and criminal justice professionals in meeting the communication needs of offenders with learning disabilities and learning difficulties

Vulnerability in custody: perceptions and practices of police officers and criminal justice professionals in meeting the communication needs of offenders with learning disabilities and learning difficulties

The training of New Jersey emergency service first responders in autism awareness

Prevalence of disabled people involved in Spanish Civil Guard's police activity

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