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1 in 100 adults in overcrowded prisons in US, some w/ autism

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MusicMaker1
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04 Mar 2008, 8:39 pm

http://www.kansascity.com/news/nation/story/510837.html

I've heard that there are quite a few people in prison on the autistic spectrum.. Have any studies been done to determine the percentage of prisoners who are on the autistic spectrum? According to this study, as many as 70% of the people in US prisons have at least some type of learning disability. At least one learning disability (Nonverbal learning disability) is considered to be on the Autistic Spectrum. I wish there were more studies on this and that more psychological testing could be conducted in prison. Scroll down to page 8 of this report for info on the results of the study:

http://tinyurl.com/25z5tc

It is thought that quite a lot of the people in prison could be on the Autistic Spectrum. I was wondering, on the activist side of things, is anyone lobbying to get the prisoners tested for possibly neurological differences and problems? By transferring some of these nonviolent prisoners out to another type of therapeutic facility, it might help to relieve some of the severe prison overcrowding in the U.S.. (as well as help the autistic/learning-disabled prisoners who are probably experiencing even more humiliation and abuse than the general prison population)

In information on this would be appreciated.. Thanks.

~L



Last edited by MusicMaker1 on 06 Mar 2008, 1:28 pm, edited 4 times in total.

DukeGallison
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04 Mar 2008, 9:59 pm

If some of these criminals are in prison for nonviolent/victimless crimes, then I'd be all for rehabilitating them if they do have disabilities, but if they're violent criminals, they should stay in prison.


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ASS-P
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04 Mar 2008, 10:20 pm

oh well .



MusicMaker1
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06 Mar 2008, 2:07 am

I think it's pretty cruel myself.. (If a nonviolent offender didn't know they were doing something wrong, etc.. and just got thrown into a violent prison to be exposed to all sorts of diseases, cruelty and abuse.. the key thrown away for decades.. well.. seems pretty sad to me..) :cry:

I really wish there could be more psych testing of the prisoners, and if someone is actually disabled and non-violent (good point), then hopefully they could be transferred out of the overcrowded prisons in the U.S. I wish more studies could be done and more testing provided for the inmates..



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24 Mar 2008, 11:19 pm

MusicMaker1 wrote:
I think it's pretty cruel myself.. (If a nonviolent offender didn't know they were doing something wrong, etc.. and just got thrown into a violent prison to be exposed to all sorts of diseases, cruelty and abuse.. the key thrown away for decades.. well.. seems pretty sad to me..) :cry:

I really wish there could be more psych testing of the prisoners, and if someone is actually disabled and non-violent (good point), then hopefully they could be transferred out of the overcrowded prisons in the U.S. I wish more studies could be done and more testing provided for the inmates..

First paragraph is what happened (and still is ongoing) to my friend's adult son (who was only dx'd ASD after getting in trouble). The system doesn't care one whit.

Second paragraph is what one wishes fervently for, but has yet to occur. Links to story (on a local website, since mainstream/print media in my area have totally ignored this)-for those who have the time, these are important (yet sad & infuriating) reading:
"Fruitless Quest for Help"
http://www.ibrattleboro.com/article.php ... 4151835676
"Third World in Vermont"
http://www.ibrattleboro.com/article.php ... 5093716478


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barcncpt44
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28 Mar 2008, 2:00 pm

our government doesn't care what you have as long it can stick you in the pokey


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Bopkasen
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02 Apr 2008, 11:57 am

barcncpt44 wrote:
our government doesn't care what you have as long it can stick you in the pokey


that sound about right.

What prison physc are doing is diluting autism spectrum disorder rather than helping.