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A pilot evaluation of using symbol-based information in police custody
- Authors:
- PARSONS Sarah, SHERWOOD Gina
- Journal article citation:
- British Journal of Learning Disabilities, 44(3), 2016, p.213–224.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
At least 20–30% of offenders within the criminal justice system (CJS) have learning disabilities or difficulties. This creates significant challenges in relation to meeting their information needs about rights, entitlements, processes and procedures. The authors report a pilot project where widgit Symbols were used to create more accessible information about rights and entitlements for people entering custody. The widgit Symbol custody sheets were used in two Hampshire Constabulary custody centres for a 4-week period and feedback gathered from 14 custody officers and inspectors. The views of 27 other important stakeholders, including young people with autism and their families, appropriate adults, and senior personnel within the CJS, were gathered about the sheets through interviews and focus groups. The reaction to the sheets was overwhelmingly positive with many participants suggesting that symbol-based information in custody could be rolled out nationally and also extended more widely to include other parts of the CJS. (Edited publisher abstract)
Vulnerability in custody: perceptions and practices of police officers and criminal justice professionals in meeting the communication needs of offenders with learning disabilities and learning difficulties
- Authors:
- PARSONS Sarah, SHERWOOD Gina
- Journal article citation:
- Disability and Society, 31(4), 2016, pp.553-572.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
Information provision and communication within the Criminal Justice System can be highly problematic for young people and adults with learning disabilities and difficulties. Paper-based communication is common, and is mandated for the provision of rights and entitlements in custody, but such communication can be poorly understood, potentially leading to miscarriages of justice. This article uses the piloting of a more accessible version of the rights and entitlements notice in custody to explore the communication practices with vulnerable detained persons from the perspectives of professionals within the Criminal Justice System. As a legally mandated text in a context heavily imbued with organisational power, the rights and entitlements notice in custody has sociological significance as a lens through which organisational practices, and understandings, can be examined. The stressful, fast-paced and transitional context of custody shapes communication and interaction in ways that are challenging for the detained person and also the professionals who support them. (Publisher abstract)