People with neurodevelopmental disorders have long been considered vulnerable to engaging in serious offending behaviours including physical assaults, criminal damage, stalking, rapes, homicides and fire setting.

While there are some published reports of increased prevalence of these disorders (esp. autism and ADHD) in offender populations in both correctional and secure health facilities, most individuals living with autism never have any contact with the criminal justice system. Those that do engage in serious violent crime typically present with a range complex needs that cannot be effectively or adequately managed in mainstream health and correctional settings.

It is also well recognised that features of autism often create barriers to effective therapeutic engagement and the response rates to treatment programs are lower in this group than those in the general offender population. A good understanding of neurodevelopmental disorders and their contribution to criminal offending is essential for risk and treatment formulations and the effective assessment and management of risk.

In this full day session, I intend to:

Provide a brief overview of common neurodevelopmental disorders.
Explore & take a closer look at common pathways that lead to criminal offending.
Review the current evidence base on the links, if any, between these conditions and serious offending behaviours.
Explore issues around the motivation for offending, links with psychopathy, schizophrenia spectrum disorders and other comorbid condition
Explore measures that can be implemented to improve rehabilitative outcomes in forensic settings.

Attendees would be able to identify common neurodevelopmental disorders that are commonly encountered in forensic (community, prison and health) settings, identify common risk factors for offending and have a better understanding and appreciation of interventions to reduce recidivism and improve treatment/management outcomes.

This full-day training is suitable for clinicians and non-clinicians working with individuals with intellectual disabilities and other neurodevelopmental disorders in contact with the criminal justice system. If you have questions about your suitability for this workshop, please contact FMHPDP@swin.edu.au

The workshop will be facilitated by Dr David Thomas, Forensic and Neurodevelopmental Psychiatrist.

David Thomas is a psychiatrist with the Victorian Institute for Forensic Mental Health (Forensicare) and Hon Research Fellow with the Centre for Forensic Behavioural Science, Swinburne University of Technology. He has worked as a Consultant in Neurodevelopmental Psychiatry in the UK since 2001. Between 2001 and 2007 he was the autism lead across the 4 boroughs of North East London, set up autism-specific services across North and North East London and developed and delivered autism-focused training to the Metropolitan Police. After undertaking additional training in Forensic Psychiatry, he moved to the East London NHS Foundation trust where he helped set up a new secure service for people with intellectual disabilities. In 2011 he was appointed Clinical Director of Cedar House Hospital, a forensic hospital in Kent for individuals with neurodevelopmental disorders and in 2014 was appointed Medical Director of the Adult Mental Health and Intellectual Disability division of Four Seasons Healthcare, with responsibility for 6 secure hospitals, 2 step-down rehabilitation units and 4 community-based recovery hospitals. He moved to Melbourne in 2017 and currently works with Forensicare’s Problem Behaviour Program. He has also provided consultant input to the Glaser Clinic (Community Forensic Disability Service) since January 2018.

Contact the host of Offending in individuals with neurodevelopmental disorders