Felicity has contributed to an article on the challenges that face neurodivergent children who are caught in the criminal justice system for Medicine, Science and the Law journal.
Neurodivergent childrena are significantly over-represented in youth justice systems nationally and internationally. Three quarters of children with speech, language and communication needs are not identified prior to justice involvement (many of whom will also have an underlying neurodivergent condition that impacts on their SLCN), and 80% of children in the youth justice system in England and Wales are identified as having special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).3 It is estimated that between 60% and 90% of children in custody have speech, language and communication needs,4 and they experience significant levels of emotional, mental and physical harm once in this environment.5 It is also estimated that the rate of children in custody with a neurodivergent condition is higher than those serving community sentences.
The article is open access and available to read here from Sage Publications.
