The subjective experiences of liaison and diversion staff who encounter individuals with autism
| Pages | 137-150 |
| Published date | 15 April 2020 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/JCRPP-11-2019-0067 |
| Date | 15 April 2020 |
| Author | Eleanor Burch,John Rose |
| Subject Matter | Health & social care,Criminology & forensic psychology |
The subjective experiences of liaison and
diversion staff who encounter individuals
with autism
Eleanor Burch and John Rose
Abstract
Purpose –Research suggests that individuals with autistic spectrum disorder(ASD) are inconsistently
supported throughout the criminal justice system (CJS) in the UK. Bradley (2009) recommended the
introduction of criminaljustice liaison and diversion (L&D) teams to bridge the gap betweenthe CJS and
mental healthservices and provide a more consistent andimproved quality of support for individualswith
vulnerabilities,including those with autism. This study aimsto explore the experiences of staff working in
L&D teams who encounterindividuals with ASD.
Design/methodology/approach –Interviews were conducted with ten L&D team members.
Interpretativephenomenological analysis was used to gain insightinto their lived experiences of working
with autismin the CJS.
Findings –Interpretation of individual transcripts resulted in three super-ordinate themes: ‘‘feeling
helpless and helpful in the system’’, ‘‘transition to knowing’’ and ‘‘impact on self’’. Each theme
encapsulated a number of sub-themes depicting the limitations of services, difficult environments,
making a difference, lack of understanding, developing understanding and the impact of these
experienceson staff’s confidence, attitudesand well-being.
Practical implications –Criminal justice servicesare limited for people with autism. There is a lack of
autism awarenessby staff. Lack of awareness impacts staff attitudesand confidence. Training in autism
shouldbe provided to criminal justice staff.
Originality/value –This research highlights the limitations of services available for individuals with
autism and the widespread lack of autism awareness. These concerns directly impacted participants’
confidence, attitudes and well-being. Recommendations are proposed to guide future practice and
research including increasing availability of access to ASD services, enforcing mandatory autism-
specifictraining for staff and routinely collectingservice-user feedback.
Keywords Autism, Offenders, Qualitative, Mental health/disorders, Courts, Liaison and diversion,
Alternative to custody
Paper type Research paper
Introduction
Background
Individuals with autistic spectrum disorder (ASD) who enter the criminal justice system
(CJS) are unlikely to receive adequate support due to a lack of autism awareness (Talbot,
2009;Browning and Caulfield, 2011). Talbot (2009) questioned whether such individuals
should be diverted away from the CJS into more suitable services. In the same year,
Bradley (2009) published a report recommending the introduction of criminal justice liaison
and diversion (L&D) services across the UK to bridge the gap between the CJS and mental
health services. L&D teams aim to support vulnerableindividuals and guide them into more
appropriate, community-based services. The area of service provision for people with ASD
and forensic needs are rapidly changing, but these new developments are under
Eleanor Burch is based at
Department for Applied
Psychology, University of
Birmingham Edgbaston
Campus, Birmingham, UK,
and St Andrew’s
Healthcare Northampton,
Northampton, UK.
John Rose is based at
Department for Applied
Psychology, University of
Birmingham Edgbaston
Campus, Birmingham, UK.
Received 18 November 2019
Revised 13 January 2020
Accepted 23 February 2020
St Andrew’s Healthcare can be
acknowledged as funders for
the research.
DOI 10.1108/JCRPP-11-2019-0067VOL. 6 NO. 2 2020, pp. 137-150, ©Emerald Publishing Limited, ISSN 2056-3841 jJOURNAL OF CRIMINOLOGICAL RESEARCH, POLICY AND PRACTICE jPAGE 137
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