Short report: Prison-reported rates of autism in female prisons in England.
Katy-Louise Payne, Emma Gooding
PMID 39297565WHAT IT FOUND
Prison records show 4.78% of female prisoners in England are autistic, compared to 0.35% in the general female population.
Rates varied widely between prisons, from 0% to 11.19%, reflecting inconsistent recording practices rather than true prevalence differences.
Key findings
01The prison-reported autism rate for female prisoners in England was 4.78%, based on 141 autistic prisoners out of 2949 total.
02Reported rates varied significantly by prison, ranging from 0% in one open prison to 11.19% in one closed prison.
03Data for two prisons were withheld because they reported five or fewer autistic females, raising privacy concerns.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The study relied on prison computer records, which are not standardised for autism diagnosis across England. It is impossible to know if the autistic status recorded was based on a formal clinical diagnosis or self-identification. Data for two prisons were excluded due to privacy concerns, so the total population analysed was smaller than the total female prison estate. The study did not collect data on gender identity, so it is unclear if trans women were included or excluded. The extreme variation in rates between prisons (0% to 11.19%) suggests the data reflects administrative recording habits rather than accurate epidemiology.
Declared interests
The author declared no conflicts of interest. The research was conducted as part of the author's regular job with no additional external funding.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret the 4.78% rate as a precise or clinically confirmed prevalence. It is a prison-reported figure that mixes formal diagnoses with self-identification and varies wildly by institution, meaning it likely underestimates or misrepresents the true number of autistic women in prison.