Criminal justice system interactions among young adults with and without autism: A national birth cohort study in New Zealand.
Nicholas Bowden, Barry Milne, Richard Audas and 10 others
PMID 34961358WHAT IT FOUND
Young adults with autism had lower rates of police proceedings, charges, and convictions than peers without autism.
However, among those charged, they faced higher rates of serious and violent offences and were incarcerated at similar rates to the non-autistic group.
Key findings
01After adjusting for socio-demographics, young people with autism had a 37.6% lower hazard of police proceedings, 39.2% lower hazard of court charges, and 43.1% lower hazard of court convictions compared to those without autism.
02The hazard of incarceration was not significantly different between young people with and without autism.
03Among those with at least one court charge, young people with autism had significantly higher hazards for serious offences, offences against the person, violent offences, and offences against property compared to those without autism.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they found
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What it does not show
Autism identification relied on unvalidated administrative health data, which likely undercounts prevalence by 35-55% and may bias the sample toward more complex cases. The study could not account for co-occurring conditions like intellectual disability, substance abuse, or ADHD, which are known risk factors for offending. The cohort excludes migrants, who make up a significant portion of the young adult population in New Zealand. The analysis shows associations only, not causal links between autism and CJS interactions.
Declared interests
The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest. The study was funded by the New Zealand Law Foundation, the Michael and Suzanne Borrin Foundation, and the A Better Start National Science Challenge (Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment).
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret the lower overall rates of police contact as evidence that autism is protective against offending. The data show that among those who do enter the justice system, young people with autism face higher hazards for serious and violent offences and are incarcerated at rates similar to their non-autistic peers.