Experiences of autism in UK prison-based offending behaviour programmes to address sexual offending

Research indicates that autistic people are no more likely to engage in crime than neurotypical people. However, in the minority of autistic people that do engage in crime, evidence has suggested that sexual crime is one of the more common forms of offending behaviour committed by autistic individuals. Moreover, increasing evidence suggests that autistic individuals have qualitatively different experiences of prison, compared to other neurotypes. Despite this, very little research has investigated how to approach prison-based rehabilitation for autistic individuals who have sexually offended. The small body of literature that does exist suggests that interventions to address sexual offending may not be sufficiently adapted for this group, but there is a need for further empirical research. The present study (i) explored how prison-based interventions to address sexual offending are experienced by autistic individuals with sexual offence convictions and the staff who work with them, and (ii) identified the features of prison-based sexual offending interventions that can be challenging or beneficial for autistic individuals with sexual convictions, from the perspective of those involved in those interventions. The presentation summarises a multi-perspective phenomenologically-informed thematic analysis of interviews with autistic men with sexual convictions and prison staff working with them, which identified three themes of ‘Feeling overwhelmed’, ‘Out of comfort zone’, and ‘(Dis)connection’. These themes highlight some of the key issues relating to the format and delivery of interventions, as well as the impact of the broader prison context on rehabilitation. Findings from this study have informed practical recommendations for how best to work with autistic individuals with sexual offence convictions in prison-based interventions.