People with autism have always required extra care and often, special policies are needed to be customized only for them. This brings in another major issue for legislature and justice system.
So, how should people with autism be treated? Understandably, people with autism spectrum disorder have special needs. Due to this fact, the British crime justice system is having a hard time deciding on what verdict to give to criminals with autism.
It is well understood that different forms of manipulation, bullying, victimization, physical and sexual abuse, and hierarchy are present in prisons. These are all social crimes the people with autism cannot deal with appropriately. Coupled with their difficulty in comprehending and reacting to other prisoners' body language and facial expressions, it is not hard to see why jails are not the right place for this group of people.
The problem, however, does not end there. The noises, fights, shouts and arguments are some of the common things common a prison environment but these could be highly detrimental to anyone with autism.
The reason? Such people have sensory hypersensitivity, which increases the amplitude of the sound. Even normal sounds like the drops of rain can be intensified to the deafening sound of a gun fire. Hence, living in an environment of noise and chaos can adversely affect their senses and mental health.
Besides these, someone with autism can have difficulty in understanding the figurative language of the inmates or can experience disorders related to excessive cleaning and organizing or could exhibit rigid adherence to certain prison regimes. In such cases, people with autism could be placed under stress, revealed The Conversation.
More than legal punishment, people with autism spectrum disorder need high-quality and expert-level medical attention. University of Salford, Manchester believes that a lot of further research is required in this field to reach any consolidated opinion. Even though every criminal must be subject to unbiased legal treatment, the medical condition of people with autism must also be taken into consideration.
