Adults with autism spectrum disorder and the criminal justice system: An investigation of prevalence of contact with the criminal justice system, risk factors and sex differences in a specialist assessment service.
Charlotte E Blackmore, Emma L Woodhouse, Nicola Gillan and 16 others
PMID 35261275WHAT IT FOUND
Adults assessed for autism were less likely to have had contact with the criminal justice system than those who did not receive an autism diagnosis.
However, within the autism group, being male, having ADHD, or having a psychotic disorder significantly increased the risk of such contact.
Key findings
01Individuals diagnosed with autism were significantly less likely to have had contact with the criminal justice system (23%) compared to those referred but not diagnosed (32%).
02Within the autism group, males were nearly four times more likely to have had contact with the criminal justice system than females (31% vs 11%).
03Co-occurring ADHD and psychotic disorders were significant risk factors for criminal justice contact in adults with autism, increasing the likelihood by 1.8 times and 2.2 times respectively.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The comparison group consisted of adults referred for autism assessment who did not receive a diagnosis, not the general population. This means findings cannot be extrapolated to whether autistic individuals offend more or less than the general public. CJS contact data relied largely on self-report and clinical notes, which may be incomplete or biased. It did not distinguish between arrests, cautions, or convictions. The study did not formally assess intelligence quotient (IQ), though participants were deemed to have normal-range intelligence (>70), limiting understanding of how cognitive ability interacts with offending risk. The cross-sectional design cannot determine if contact with the CJS occurred before or after the autism assessment, or if it continued after discharge.
Declared interests
The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest and received no financial support for the research.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret the lower CJS contact rate in the autism group as evidence that autism protects against offending. The comparison group was also a clinical population with high rates of psychiatric difficulties, so the difference likely reflects specific comorbidity profiles rather than autism itself.