Abstract
Although people diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are not more likely to commit crimes, they are overrepresented in the criminal justice system as reported by Howlin (Autism and Asperger syndrome: Preparing for adulthood, Routledge, 2004). This may, in part, be due to unfavourable interactions with the criminal judiciary. Evidence suggests the autistic population are perceived unfavourably in adjudicative proceedings resulting in harsher penalties. The present study explores whether ASD offenders (ASD-O) receive longer sentences compared to national sentencing data. Sentencing data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) were used to compare ASD-O with similar offences. ASD-O attracted longer sentences across all offence classifications. Inferential analyses indicated sexual assault sentences were significantly higher in the ASD-O sample. No significant differences were found for murder, manslaughter, and assault.
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Notes
The most serious offence convictions that can result in custodial sentences are dealt with by Higher Courts in Australia. High Courts are the highest in the hierarchy of courts within each state and territory within the Australian judicial system (ABS, 2012).
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TRF wrote the manuscript, developed methods, collected data, and conducted all statistical analyses. RLY provided additional data and assisted with editing and reviewing the manuscript. All authors reviewed the final manuscript.
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The authors would like to thank Stephanie Amir and team at the National Centre for Crime and Justice Statistics (Australian Bureau of Statistics) for their assistance and supplying customised data for the study. Additionally, the authors would like to acknowledge the ARC DP 190100162 and Hamish Ramsay Fund grants for their research support towards the larger projects associated with the present study.
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Foster, T.R., Young, R.L. Brief Report: Sentencing Outcomes for Offenders on the Autism Spectrum. J Autism Dev Disord 52, 3314–3320 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-021-05212-4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-021-05212-4