Autistic Spectrum Disorder: Revealing the Plight of a Hidden Population and Recognizing Challenges with the Implementation of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act (1984)

King, Julie Elaine; Charles, Anthony

doi:10.1080/0731129x.2025.2583680

Journal article 328 views 27 downloads

Autistic Spectrum Disorder: Revealing the Plight of a Hidden Population and Recognizing Challenges with the Implementation of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act (1984)

Julie Elaine King, Anthony Charles

Criminal Justice Ethics, Pages: 1 - 24

Swansea University Author: Anthony Charles

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© 2025 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group on behalf of John Jay College of Criminal Justice of The City University of New York. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License.
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DOI (Published version): 10.1080/0731129x.2025.2583680

Abstract

UK policing practice is topical and the subject of considerable political debate. Especially in relation to vulnerable individuals, it is variously described as problematic, ‘heavy handed’ or even unjust. In this article, the way that individuals who have autistic spectrum disorder are treated by th...

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Published in:	Criminal Justice Ethics
ISSN:	0731-129X 1937-5948
Published:	Informa UK Limited 2025
Online Access:	Check full text
URI:	https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa70126

first_indexed	2025-08-07T10:34:55Z
last_indexed	2025-12-05T09:20:48Z
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spelling	2025-12-03T15:30:20.8910819 v2 70126 2025-08-07 Autistic Spectrum Disorder: Revealing the Plight of a Hidden Population and Recognizing Challenges with the Implementation of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act (1984) 80915b433524ae42b9a918cfdfcafba9 0000-0002-2573-9464 Anthony Charles Anthony Charles true false 2025-08-07 SOSS UK policing practice is topical and the subject of considerable political debate. Especially in relation to vulnerable individuals, it is variously described as problematic, ‘heavy handed’ or even unjust. In this article, the way that individuals who have autistic spectrum disorder are treated by the police will be explored. Research undertaken across England and Wales confirms that not only are individuals with autistic spectrum disorder (ASD) some of the most vulnerable people in society, but also, that they are often subjected to negative treatment by the police. Despite the enactment of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act in 1984, findings suggest that due process protections are not being appropriately applied, and that legislative rhetoric does not reflect reality, having worrying consequences for those with ASD. The lived experiences of research participants feature prominently in this article, revealing weaknesses in statutory safeguards. These weaknesses are not insignificant, potentially harming those with ASD and undermining confidence in the justice system. Reflecting on research findings, this article concludes that there is an urgent need for a strengthening of protections by the UK Parliament for ASD affected people including more effective training and a transformation of attitudes to realise both due process and justice. Journal Article Criminal Justice Ethics 0 1 24 Informa UK Limited 0731-129X 1937-5948 autistic spectrum disorder, Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984, criminal justice system, policing, due process 24 11 2025 2025-11-24 10.1080/0731129x.2025.2583680 COLLEGE NANME Social Sciences School COLLEGE CODE SOSS Swansea University SU Library paid the OA fee (TA Institutional Deal) Swansea University 2025-12-03T15:30:20.8910819 2025-08-07T11:30:14.2598268 Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences School of Social Sciences - Criminology, Sociology and Social Policy Julie Elaine King 1 Anthony Charles 0000-0002-2573-9464 2 70126__35741__1acd13ac5a9a4e818e448cc4ccc9ac4e.pdf 70126.VOR.pdf 2025-12-03T15:27:12.2485646 Output 1064392 application/pdf Version of Record true © 2025 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group on behalf of John Jay College of Criminal Justice of The City University of New York. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. true eng http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
title	Autistic Spectrum Disorder: Revealing the Plight of a Hidden Population and Recognizing Challenges with the Implementation of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act (1984)
spellingShingle	Autistic Spectrum Disorder: Revealing the Plight of a Hidden Population and Recognizing Challenges with the Implementation of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act (1984) Anthony Charles
title_short	Autistic Spectrum Disorder: Revealing the Plight of a Hidden Population and Recognizing Challenges with the Implementation of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act (1984)
title_full	Autistic Spectrum Disorder: Revealing the Plight of a Hidden Population and Recognizing Challenges with the Implementation of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act (1984)
title_fullStr	Autistic Spectrum Disorder: Revealing the Plight of a Hidden Population and Recognizing Challenges with the Implementation of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act (1984)
title_full_unstemmed	Autistic Spectrum Disorder: Revealing the Plight of a Hidden Population and Recognizing Challenges with the Implementation of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act (1984)
title_sort	Autistic Spectrum Disorder: Revealing the Plight of a Hidden Population and Recognizing Challenges with the Implementation of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act (1984)
author_id_str_mv	80915b433524ae42b9a918cfdfcafba9
author_id_fullname_str_mv	80915b433524ae42b9a918cfdfcafba9_***_Anthony Charles
author	Anthony Charles
author2	Julie Elaine King Anthony Charles
format	Journal article
container_title	Criminal Justice Ethics
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publishDate	2025
institution	Swansea University
issn	0731-129X 1937-5948
doi_str_mv	10.1080/0731129x.2025.2583680
publisher	Informa UK Limited
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description	UK policing practice is topical and the subject of considerable political debate. Especially in relation to vulnerable individuals, it is variously described as problematic, ‘heavy handed’ or even unjust. In this article, the way that individuals who have autistic spectrum disorder are treated by the police will be explored. Research undertaken across England and Wales confirms that not only are individuals with autistic spectrum disorder (ASD) some of the most vulnerable people in society, but also, that they are often subjected to negative treatment by the police. Despite the enactment of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act in 1984, findings suggest that due process protections are not being appropriately applied, and that legislative rhetoric does not reflect reality, having worrying consequences for those with ASD. The lived experiences of research participants feature prominently in this article, revealing weaknesses in statutory safeguards. These weaknesses are not insignificant, potentially harming those with ASD and undermining confidence in the justice system. Reflecting on research findings, this article concludes that there is an urgent need for a strengthening of protections by the UK Parliament for ASD affected people including more effective training and a transformation of attitudes to realise both due process and justice.
published_date	2025-11-24T05:31:45Z
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Autistic Spectrum Disorder: Revealing the Plight of a Hidden Population and Recognizing Challenges with the Implementation of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act (1984)

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