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Making a statement: an exploratory study of barriers facing women with an intellectual disability when making a statement about sexual assault to police
- Authors:
- KEILTY Jennifer, CONNELLY Georgina
- Journal article citation:
- Disability and Society, 16(2), March 2001, pp.273-291.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
Many women with intellectual disability become the victims of sexual assault. This qualitative Australian study looks at the barriers that arise at the crucial first step toward the prosecution of a complaint - making a statement to the police. The study's findings demonstrate a need for greater awareness within the police service of police policies and procedures, and legislation, as well as greater co-operation between the police service and other organisations, which have an impact on the lives of women with intellectual disability.
Assist as appropriate
- Author:
- BOND Henrietta
- Journal article citation:
- Community Care, 4.9.97, 1997, p.27.
- Publisher:
- Reed Business Information
Appropriate adults can assist with communication between vulnerable people and the police and help people with learning difficulties get a fair hearing at the police station. Reports on a scheme which trains and supports appropriate adults.
Accused of murder: supporting the communication needs of a vulnerable defendant at court and at the police station
- Author:
- O'MAHONY Brendan M.
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Learning Disabilities and Offending Behaviour, 3(2), 2012, pp.77-84.
- Publisher:
- Emerald
Witnesses or defendants with psychological vulnerabilities such as learning disabilities may be disadvantaged in understanding questions and the implications of the answers that they provide. The Youth Justice and Criminal Evidence Act 1999 introduced the role of the Registered Intermediary to the criminal justice system allowing vulnerable witnesses to have access to communication experts to facilitate communication during police interviews and whilst providing testimony at court. This paper examines the interaction between an intermediary, a vulnerable defendant and barristers and the judge in a courtroom. The aim of the paper is to consider how the communication needs of vulnerable defendants should be addressed in the criminal justice system. The defendant was a young adult assessed as having an IQ of 66 and a receptive vocabulary score similar to that which might be expected of a 7-year-old child. The defendant had been charged with murder and had entered a plea of self-defence against the charge. The paper highlights the complexities of the language that is used by lawyers in the courtroom and the difficulties that this can cause for a vulnerable defendant. Additionally, it reveals the difficulties that the police caution can present to a vulnerable suspect in custody.
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)
Brain-injured children and the police
- Authors:
- EDWORTHY Ann, HYLTON Catherine
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Learning Disabilities and Offending Behaviour, 1(3), October 2010, pp.40-48.
- Publisher:
- Emerald
The involvement of people with learning disabilities with the police has long been a source of difficulty. This article explores the particular difficulties that different groups may have in their potential dealings with the police, including people with: autism spectrum disorders; attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD); cerebral palsy; Tourette's syndrome; and those with brain injury. The study involved interviews with 13 parents who have a brain-injured child who had been detailed by the police, and interviews with representatives from the 8 police forces involved. Interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) was used in this research. The parents reported concerns such as harsh questioning, being given inaccurate advice, and a failure by officers to communicate and appraise parents as to how their child is being processed. The research findings highlight the need for better education and training to address the multiplicity of problems that the police are called upon to deal with, with specific regard to disabilities resulting from brain injury.
Making things happen: first annual report of the Learning Disability Task Force, January 2003
- Author:
- LEARNING DISABILITY TASK FORCE
- Publisher:
- Learning Disability Task Force
- Publication year:
- 2003
- Pagination:
- 59p.
- Place of publication:
- London
First official report to the government of the Task Force sets out the history of its setting up, its membership, methods of working and recommendations for policy change. Topics investigated in 2000 included advocacy, children's services, the Care Standards Commission, learning disability boards, cuts in social care and health provisions for people with learning difficulties and the Mental Health Bill. Future projects include investigating services for people from ethnic communities, communication methods for people with learning difficulties, NHS user support, carers and police liaison.
A guide to interviewing children: essential skills for counsellors, police, lawyers and social workers
- Editors:
- WILSON C. J., POWELL Martine
- Publisher:
- Routledge
- Publication year:
- 2001
- Pagination:
- 163p.,bibliog.
- Place of publication:
- London
Aimed at professionals who may have to interview a child about sexual abuse. Begins by describing children's views of the world and how their perceptions differ from those of an adult. Explains how to plan and prepare for an interview, and different interviewing techniques. Discusses how to communicate with disabled children and those from different cultural backgrounds. Concludes by discussing the aftermath of the interview, and debriefing the child and interviewer.