Abstract
This study describes charges, outcomes, and recidivism in both the juvenile and adult criminal justice systems (CJS) for young adults aged 17 to 23 years with autism spectrum disorder (ASD; n = 606). Results are compared to individuals with ID (n = 1271) and a population control group (n = 2973). About 3% of individuals with ASD were charged with at least one offense by the time they reached young adulthood. Few differences were found in CJS involvement across groups. Young adults with ASD were not over represented in the CJS in general, and were less likely to be involved in the adult justice system than their peers. They received similar charges and outcomes and were as likely to reoffend as their peers.
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The use of South Carolina Department of Juvenile Justice and State Law Enforcement Division records in the preparation of this material is acknowledged, but it is not to be construed as implying official approval by the Department of Juvenile Justice and/or State Law Enforcement Division of the conclusions presented.
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This work was supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC-RFA-DD10-1002) and the Department of Defense (W81XWH-15-10093). Opinions, interpretations, conclusions, and recommendations are those of the authors and are not necessarily endorsed by these funding agencies.
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YY, CCB, ADB, and LAC contributed to the study conception and design. Material preparation and data collection were performed by CCB, JMC, and LAC. Data analyses were performed by ADB. The first draft of the manuscript was written by YY, and CCB, ADB, and LAC commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
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Yu, Y., Bradley, C.C., Boan, A.D. et al. Young Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder and the Criminal Justice System. J Autism Dev Disord 51, 3624–3636 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-020-04805-9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-020-04805-9