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    Autism in the courtroom: experiences of legal professionals and the autism community

    Maras, K. and Crane, L. and Mulcahy, S. and Hawken, T. and Cooper, Penelope and Wurtzel, D. and Memmon, A. (2017) Autism in the courtroom: experiences of legal professionals and the autism community. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders 47 (8), pp. 2610-2620. ISSN 0162-3257.

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    Abstract

    Online surveys were used to sample the views of judges, barristers and solicitors (n=33) about their engagement with autistic individuals in criminal courts in England and Wales. Despite an understanding of some of the difficulties experienced by individuals with autism, and the adjustments suitable for supporting them, legal professionals reported constraints arising from a lack of understanding by others within the criminal justice system. These results are considered alongside the views and perspectives of autistic adults (n=9) and parents of children on the autism spectrum (n=19), who had encountered the criminal courts as witnesses or defendants and were largely dissatisfied with their experiences. Training, understanding and the provision of appropriate adjustments were identified as key issues by all respondent groups.

    Metadata

    Item Type: Article
    School: Birkbeck Faculties and Schools > Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences > School of Social Sciences
    Research Centres and Institutes: Law and the Humanities, Centre for
    Depositing User: Penny Cooper
    Date Deposited: 16 May 2017 09:28
    Last Modified: 02 Aug 2023 17:32
    URI: https://eprints.bbk.ac.uk/id/eprint/18709

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