Autism spectrum conditions and offending: an introduction to the special edition

The purpose of this paper is to offer an overview of the issues from studies that have tried to estimate rates of offending.

Brief review.

There is currently no consensus on the prevalence of people with autism spectrum conditions who offend, due to the limited evidence base. It is also difficult to generalise findings across the criminal justice system and secure services.

This paper brings together a summary of key studies that have estimated the numbers of offenders with autism spectrum conditions over the last 30 years.