- Staff dedicated to helping neurodivergent offenders now in place in all public prisons
- Prisoners with conditions such as autism to get better rehabilitation
- Part of government's work to reduce reoffending and cut crime
Dedicated neurodiversity officers are now in place in every public prison in England and Wales to better support offenders away from crime.
The specialist staff are tasked with making sure prisoners with neurodiverse needs are identified and can access the right education and training opportunities while in prison which are crucial to reducing reoffending.
Some neurodiverse offenders may have speech and language needs which can lead to challenging behaviour, meaning they struggle to engage with prison rules and rehabilitation programmes. Support managers will ensure other prison staff know how to avoid and de-escalate volatile situations when working with offenders that have neurodiverse conditions.
It is estimated that up to half of the adult prison population could be considered neurodivergent, covering a range of conditions and disorders such as learning disabilities and acquired brain injuries. Since April 2021, the Prison Service has identified at least 25,000 prisoners enrolled in education who have learning difficulties and disabilities.
Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, Alex Chalk KC, said:
As a barrister I've seen first-hand the struggle that offenders with conditions like autism and dyslexia can have in finding or holding down a job that would help them turn their back on crime.
These specialist staff have deployed across all of our public prisons. Not only will they help prisoners become law abiding members of society but also make our prisons safer by training officers to avoid and de-escalate outbursts
Neurodiversity support managers are also tasked with training staff to support neurodivergent prisoners through practical issues such as helping make those who struggle to read aware of the rules. They will also prepare offenders
