Autism, the Criminal Justice System, and Transition to Adulthood

Abstract

The criminal justice systemCriminal justice system is set up for the purpose of regulating Neurotypical people’s behavior. If an individual violates a criminal norm, sanctions should reflect that person’s mental capacity in understanding what they did was legally wrong. When an autistic individual commits a crime, questions may be raised as to the responsibility of key social/state actors for failing to provide structures that would facilitate accepted behavior in this special category of citizens. Many of the infractions that autistic individuals are likely to commit come as a result of failed interactions with the wider neurotypicalNeurotypical society as well as with law-enforcement officials. If the general public were more sensitive and educated about some of the issues raised here, and if (parts of) the public realm were less stressful and more autism friendly, there may well be fewer problematic incidents involving autistic people.