Learning from lived experiences: using the voices of autistic people in prisons to inform staff training

An increasing amount of research has suggested that autistic people in prison can have qualitatively different experiences and support needs, compared to non-autistic peers. In light of this and the growing recognition of neurodivergent people in the criminal justice system more generally, a call for more autism awareness training for staff across the criminal justice sector has become a recurring theme in the existing literature. Therefore, drawing upon evidence from the reported lived experiences of autistic people in prison and the staff who work with them, this article discusses key themes that emerge in relation to how autistic people experience prison, including ‘Navigating Social Interactions’, ‘Rules, Routine and Structure’, ‘Overstimulating Sensory Environments’, and ‘Challenges Experienced by Staff’. This is followed by a discussion of how these themes can be positively utilised to inform and shape autism training for prison staff. Specifically, the article provides clear recommendations for the type of content that could be embedded into this training, with an illustrative example of where this has been successfully implemented in practice. The article concludes with a call for a consistent approach to autism training across prison sites, an emphasis on the benefits of neuroinclusivity in prisons, and examples of additional improvements that are needed beyond training and education.