Background Published research in the last few years has shed some light on the experiences of people with learning disabilities in the criminal justice system, with significant evidence emerging of their vulnerability. The authors of this current study however, were interested in the ways in which people might, or might not, become involved in the [read the full story…]
The 2009 Bradley Review espoused a new approach to dealing with mentally ill offenders and those with learning disabilities to prevent this vulnerable group being caught in the revolving door of the criminal justice system. One of the recommendations was to develop awareness training for criminal justice staff and members of the judiciary to help [read the full story…]
We have posted previously about people with learning disabilities in the criminal justice system and the work of the Prison Reform Trust in this area. Colleagues in the Prison Reform Trust are undertaking some research about provision specifically for women with learning disabilities in the criminal justice system. The researcher is carrying out a comparative [read the full story…]
Last week, we featured a guest blog from our sister site the Mental Elf which looked at the findings of a study based on the British Crime Survey which found that people with disability are at increased risk of being victims of domestic and non-domestic violence and suggested the need for an urgent assessment national [read the full story…]
Last week, the excellent UK forensic and learning disabilities network, one of a range of networks run throughout the UK to provide information to people supporting people with learning disabilities, circulated a note about a report from west Yorkshire. Although a local report, the findings have a wider relevance. The report was commissioned by the [read the full story…]
The Prison Reform Trust work in 2008 suggested that people with learning disabilities in the UK faced ‘personal, systemic and routine’ discrimination from the point of arrest through to release from prison. This Australian study looked at the experience of people in the state of Victoria. The researchers were interested in the experiences and perceptions [read the full story…]
As you know, we are committed here at the Learning Disabilities Elf to bringing you the evidence, what works, what doesn’t and to set it all in some context. We also though like to draw attention to resources and sources of help and advice around important issues. We have posted before about the findings of [read the full story…]
In 2008, the Prison Reform Trust carried out work on the issues facing people with learning disabilities in the criminal justice system, resulting in the ‘No One Knows’ report which suggested they faced ‘personal, systemic and routine’ discrimination from the point of arrest through to release from prison. One key finding was that less than [read the full story…]
There continues to be some debate about the numbers of people with learning disabilities in UK prisons, partly due to the lack of consensus on definitions of learning disability in studies and different approaches to establishing the boundaries between learning difficulty, borderline learning disability and learning disability. The Bradley report recommended amongst its key recommendations [read the full story…]
The authors of this study look at the way the criminal justice system responds to people with learning disabilities by focusing on the first response to people suspected of a minor offence. They argue that at this early stage, the decisions of all the key players have a significant impact on the journey of the [read the full story…]
