Editorial
| Date | 12 June 2017 |
| Pages | 57-58 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/JIDOB-05-2017-0006 |
| Published date | 12 June 2017 |
| Author | Colin Dale |
| Subject Matter | Health & social care,Learning & intellectual disabilities,Offending behaviour,Sociology,Sociology of crime & law,Deviant behaviour,Education,Special education/gifted education,Emotional/behavioural disorders |
Colin Dale
Welcome to the international themed edition of the journal with contributions from Australia,
New Zealand, the USA and Zambia. The papers explore the legal and practical issues involved in
the various jurisdictions and provide a contrast to the systems in operation in the UK.
As we went to print we heard the sad news of the death of Dr William (Bill) Lindsay a leader in the
field of learning disability and one of our editorial team. Professor John Taylor, a long time
professional colleague and friend of Bill, provides a fitting tribute to Bill’s life and career.
Jessica Jacobson, Birkbeck, University of London; Philip Sabuni, Paralegal Alliance Network Ltd,
Lusaka, Zambia; and Jenny Talbot of the Prison Reform Trust describe disability and the criminal
justice system in Zambia.
Drawing on research conducted in 2013-2014, this paper considers the extent and nature of
disadvantage experienced by individuals with psychosocial and intellectual disabilities (PID) who
come into contact with the criminal justice system in Zambia.
The authors explain that people with PID in contact with criminal justice services in Zambia are
disadvantaged and discriminated against routinely and systematically. Like all detainees, they
experienceharsh and at times brutal conditionsof detention. However, becauseof their disabilities,
such experiencescan be more keenly felt: their disabilitiesmay be exacerbated by detention or by
limited or non-existent health care; and they are likely to be less resourceful than other detainees
and, therefore, less able to cope with the privations of detention.
In drawing on the self-advocate interviews, this paper presents direct, vivid accounts of what it
means to be a suspect, defendant or prisoner with disabilities in Zambia. These are extremely
marginalised and multiply disadvantaged individuals whose voices are rarely heard.
Lino Faccini, New York, USA and Clare Allely, the University of Salford consider the rare
instances of individuals with autism supporting or engaging in terrorism.
Their paper presents several cases where individuals with autism are involved in making a naïve,
empty terroristic threat, or uttering serious serial terroristic threats. Other cases are also
presented of individuals being at risk of an abduction or being used by a terrorist group, and
finally committing an act of domestic lone wolf terrorism.
Currently law enforcement focussing on a “preventive”approach to terrorism is argued as not
applicable to the solitary, “lone wolf”terrorist. The paucity of research (including case studies)
examining individuals with ASD who engage in terrorism has limited the criminal justice system
understanding of how the diagnosis of autism may have presented as a contextual vulnerability.
The authors argue that justice, rehabilitation and management personnel should be informed by
an understanding of the person’s diagnosis of ASD.
Malorie Watson and Aaron Kivisto of the University of Indianapolis review the inventory of Legal
Knowledge (ILK) and Adults with Intellectual Disabilities (ID).
The authors explain that adults with ID entering the legal system in the USA are at heightened risk
of being incorrectly labelled as malingering. The ILK was recently developed to assess response
style of individuals undergoing competency to stand trial evaluations. This paper presents
preliminary data on the utility of the ILK with adults with ID.
The authors findings do not support the use of the ILK with adults with ID; they call for the
development of novel malingering measures that can be used in the context of assessments with
adults with ID as a way forward.
DOI 10.1108/JIDOB-05-2017-0006 VOL. 8 NO.2 2017, pp. 57-58, © Emerald Publishing Limited, ISSN 2050-8824
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JOURNAL OF INTELLECTUAL DISABILITIES AND OFFENDING BEHAVIOUR
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Editorial
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