UKABIF and Criminal Justice Acquired Brain Injury Interest Group welcome Neurodiversity Action Plan

The UK Acquired Brain Injury Forum (UKABIF) and the Criminal Justice Acquired Brain Injury Interest Group (the Group) welcomes the Ministry of Justice’s action plan in response to the recommendations of the 2021 Review of Evidence on Neurodisabilities in the Criminal Justice System.

Research shows that brain injury in men, women and adolescents within the criminal justice system is up to five times higher than the general population.

We hope that the government’s action plan will signal a step change in recognising how people with brain injuries can get swept into the criminal justice system and to better responding to those that do, through screening, assessment, staff training, and informed, effective responses which help those affected to understand and navigate the system and to find a path back out of it. This will require additional resources. We welcome the Ministry’s efforts to seek to understand the complexities of doing this effectively for people across the range of neurodisabilities and do not underestimate the cultural change that will be required across the system in addition to the practical actions being proposed.

UKABIF’s The Time for Change report made a series of proposals on criminal justice which we wish to see addressed by the government both through this Action Plan and in the wider cross-government ABI strategy:

• Criminal justice procedures, practices and processes should be reformed to take into account the needs of individuals with Acquired Brain Injury
• Training and information about Acquired Brain Injury is required across all services including the police, court, probation and prison services
• Brain injury screening for children, young people and adults is required on entry to the criminal justice system and, if identified, an assessment of the effects, deficits, severity and impact is required with the appropriate interventions planned and implemented by a trained team.

Chloe Hayward, UKABIF’s Executive Director said: “We are really pleased that the government and criminal justice agencies are starting to take steps to ensure that neurodiversity is addressed with the seriousness and commitment that people with an acquired brain injury deserve. There is a strong evidence base for change, published by Criminal Justice Acquired Brain Injury Interest Group members and others, and we are delighted that our advocacy has brought these into focus. We look forward to seeing the outcomes of the actions planned.”

Professor Huw Williams, Professor of Clinical Neuropsychology at Exeter University and chair of the Group said: “Brain injury makes children and young people likely to be excluded from schools, socially isolated, and led into crime by others. The effects of brain injury, which typically includes poorer memory and impulsivity, make it harder for both them and adults affected to navigate criminal justice processes including the police, probation services and prisons, engage well with them and get appropriate support. Research has shown how activities of criminal justice agencies can be adapted to be effective for people with ABI and help them to understand and better manage their behaviour, but these are not commonplace. We look forward to working with the government as it implements its action plan and considers what further steps can be taken as part of its commitment to a cross-government strategic approach”.

Notes for editors

1. UKABIF's primary role is to raise awareness of acquired brain injury. UKABIF provides the secretariat for the All Party Parliamentary Group for Acquired Brain Injury  and steered the course to develop a report designed to drive change for brain injury survivors.
2. The Time for Change report, published by the All Party Parliamentary Group on Brain Injury in 2018, is available here .
3. The Criminal Justice Acquired Brain Injury Interest Group (CJABIIG) was established in January 2011. It is a consortium of representative groups spanning public, private and third sector organisations with the objective of raising awareness and securing better support for the significant number of people in the justice system with an Acquired Brain Injury (ABI). For membership see here.
4. UKABIF has secured funding from the Barrow Cadbury Trust Criminal Justice Programme to conduct research on community-based support for young adults with ABI or suspected ABI in contact with courts and the police and on training delivered across courts, prisons and probation and how that is embedded. We are also working with young adults to co-produce a self-help tool for young adults with ABI who are engaged in the criminal justice system.
5. The government has committed to develop a cross-government strategy for acquired brain injury.