We are delighted to announce the launch of Examining Criminal Justice with Autistic Adults in Canada*, a two-stage project examining experiences and perceptions Autistic people have of the criminal justice system. This project aims to study the experiences and perceptions Autistic people have of the criminal justice system in order to articulate its current strengths and challenges, to draft recommendations on policy for the Canadian government, and to identify areas for further research. Autistic people are contributing to the design of the study, its dissemination, and its outputs. The first stage of the project is a nationwide survey, and the second is a set of sessions with a policy development working group composed of Autistic stakeholders from throughout Canada.
This project is led by Assistant Professor of Sociology at Trent University, Dr. Stephanie Ehret, in collaboration with Dr. Mackenzie Salt, Autistic Researcher and Autism Alliance of Canada’s Health System Impact Fellow. This project is supported in part by a Partnership Engage Grant worth from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC).
Findings from this project will be crucial in understanding how the criminal justice system in Canada is experienced and perceived by Autistic people.
Through this project, we will reach out to Autistic people in order to gather knowledge about their views on criminal justice, both through direct experience and by other insights and/or concerns. The project also provides opportunities for participants to share their hopes on how criminal justice conversations and mechanisms can improve. Experiences that Autistic people have with the criminal justice system are under-researched and this project will help to fill this gap.