What do we know about autism and policing globally? Preliminary findings from an international effort to examine autism and the criminal justice system

• Published in: Autism research 2024-10, Vol.17 (10), p.2133-2143
• Main Authors: Cooper, Dylan, Frisbie, Shelby, Wang, Shufang, Ventimiglia, Jonas, Gibbs, Vicki, Love, Abigail M. A., Mogavero, Melanie, Benevides, Teal W., Hyatt, Jordan M., Hooven, Kate, Basketbill, Icylee, Shea, Lindsay
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Autism; Crime; criminal justice; international; Police; survey; Surveys
• ISSN: 1939-3792; 1939-3806; 1939-3806
• DOI: 10.1002/aur.3203

Research has demonstrated that autistic individuals have higher rates of police contact, however, research has seldom explored the fundamental reasons for these interactions and how this might vary across international contexts. To remedy this, the Global Autism and Criminal Justice Consortium created and disseminated the Global Criminal Justice Survey. Descriptive statistics of survey respondents with and without police contact were compared to glean differential characteristics. Frequency and type of recent police interactions (within the last 5 years) among autistic individuals were also examined to better contextualize the reasons that autistic individuals encounter police. Study findings indicated that across a global sample (i.e., North America, Scandinavia, Europe, and Oceania) nearly half of all autistic individuals had an interaction with police and that those with a history of police contact were usually older, had higher educational qualifications, and were more likely to have a co‐occurring mental health or developmental disorder. Among types of interactions, noncriminal encounters, such as welfare checks, traffic incidents, wandering, and behaviors associated with autism, were most common, followed by autistic individuals alleging a crime was committed against them. These findings offer important directions for future research and for targeted policy responses that can address the unique needs of autistic individuals within the justice system. Lay Summary Autistic people often interact with police, whether as suspects, victims, or witnesses, but we still have a lot to learn about these experiences around the world. To help understand this better, an international group created the Global Criminal Justice Survey. The current study reports on what the survey found and reveals that autistic people frequently have a range of encounters with police, some of which are unique to the population worldwide. These contacts are primarily for noncriminal reasons, such as welfare checks, traffic issues, wandering, and behaviors related to autism and victimization experiences. This has implications for practice and policy, especially regarding law enforcement awareness and training regarding autism.