Measuring Special Measures: Supporting access to justice for autistic people

每54人中就有1人患有自闭症（CDC，2020）。自闭症是一种终身发育障碍，诊断基于社交和互动困难，以及限制和重复的行为和兴趣（包括感官敏感性）。自闭症患者作为受害者/证人或嫌疑人/被告参与刑事司法系统（CJS）的可能性可能高出七倍。我们以前的研究表明，自闭症患者是进入CJS的最脆弱的人群之一，他们的经历在很大程度上是负面的，警察的采访技术需要适应，以支持自闭症患者如何记住和报告事件的差异。然而，关于自闭症患者在法庭上的经历的研究很少，尽管有几个理由怀疑法庭诉讼对这一群体来说可能特别具有挑战性（例如，为了使人们能够公平地诉诸司法，必须了解标准法庭程序，包括交叉询问对自闭症患者的影响，以及他们提供最佳证据的能力。同样重要的是要测试“特别措施”（SM）在法庭上支持自闭症患者方面的有用性和有效性。这可能包括由一名经过培训的专业人士（称为注册中介）提供协助，以支持沟通，以及使用视频技术，通过预先录制或两者兼而有之的方式远程提供证据。短信可能是昂贵和耗时的，但我们知道他们是如何帮助自闭症患者相对较少。在我们的研究中，我们将与自闭症和法律的社区在一系列创新的工作包（WP）收集定量和定性数据。我们将确定自闭症患者在法庭上遇到的关键问题，测试短信的效用，并为法律的专业人员共同创建培训和指导，使他们能够在法庭上更好地支持自闭症患者。在WP 1中，我们将通过调查，访谈和焦点小组，以及模拟审判的“参与式演练”，探索自闭症患者的生活经历，观点和看法。研究结果将用于完善我们在WP 2的实验工作，以提供第一个实证检验的影响，在自闭症成年人的盘问（有和没有SM）。我们的重点将是自闭症成年人的质量，准确性，相关性和感知的可信度，以及他们的整体经验（包括状态焦虑和情绪调节）。根据第一和第二工作方案的研究结果，在第三工作方案中，我们将与这些用户群体合作，为法律的专业人士和自闭症患者开发、评估和完善一个互动式培训包。许多对自闭症患者有效的适应措施可能对每个人都有益。研究结果将对自闭症社区（以及患有多动症、智力残疾和焦虑症等其他疾病的人群）、法律的专业人士、家庭法院、社会工作者和政策制定者产生影响。调查结果也将在国际上产生影响（例如，证人中间人计划已被用作北方爱尔兰和澳大利亚类似举措的模式，加拿大、新西兰和南非也对此感兴趣）;以及家庭法院，在那里，SM被纳入听证会。一个广泛的学术和非学术合作和传播计划已经制定，以最大限度地提高研究的影响，与广泛的关键用户，在国家自闭症协会、自闭症协会、司法部和司法机构以及自闭症社区成员、警察、律师、大律师、法官、中介机构以及家庭和刑事法院代表的投入下，

As many as 1 in 54 people are autistic (CDC, 2020). Autism is a lifelong developmental disability diagnosed based on difficulties in social communication and interaction, as well as restricted and repetitive behaviours and interests (which includes sensory sensitivities). Autistic people may be seven times more likely to become involved with the Criminal Justice System (CJS) as a victim/witness or a suspect/defendant. Our previous research has shown that autistic people are among the most vulnerable entering the CJS, their experiences are largely negative, and police interviewing techniques need to be adapted to support differences in how autistic people remember and report events. Yet there is very little research on autistic people's experiences at court, despite there being several reasons to suspect that courtroom proceedings may be especially challenging for this group (e.g., the adversarial nature of cross-examination, and stress and sensory sensitivities that may be triggered in courtroom environments).To enable fair access to justice, it is important to understand the impact of standard courtroom proceedings, including cross-examination, on autistic people and their ability to provide their best evidence. It is also important to test how useful and effective 'Special Measures' (SMs) are in supporting autistic people in court. This may include the assistance of a trained professional called a Registered Intermediary to support communication, and the use of video technology to allow evidence to be provided remotely, by pre-recording or both. SMs can be expensive and time consuming, yet we know relatively little about how helpful they are for autistic people.In our research, we will work with the autistic and legal communities in a series of innovative work packages (WPs) collecting both quantitative and qualitative data. We will identify key issues that autistic individuals experience at court, test the utility of SMs, and co-create training and guidance for legal professionals to enable them to better support autistic people at court. In WP1, we will explore the lived experiences, views and perceptions of autistic people who have been through the court system, via surveys, interviews and focus groups, as well as a 'participative walkthrough' of a simulated trial. Findings will be used to refine our experimental work in WP2 to provide the first empirical test of the impact of cross-examination (with and without SMs) in autistic adults. Our focus will be on the quality, accuracy, relevance, and perceived credibility of autistic adults' accounts, as well as on their overall experiences (including state anxiety and emotional regulation). Informed by findings from WPs 1 and 2, in WP3 we will develop, evaluate, and refine an interactive training package for legal professionals and a resource of autistic people, in collaboration with these user groups.Many of the adaptations that are effective for autistic people will likely be beneficial for everyone. Findings will have implications for the autistic community (as well as those with other conditions such as ADHD, intellectual disability, and anxiety disorders), legal professionals, the family courts, social workers, and policy makers. Findings will also have implications internationally (e.g., the Witness Intermediary Scheme has been used as a model for similar initiatives in Northern Ireland and Australia, with further interest from Canada, New Zealand, and South Africa); and for the family courts, where SMs are incorporated into hearings.An extensive program of academic and non-academic collaboration and dissemination has been developed to maximise the research impact with a broad range of key users, with input from the National Autistic Society, Autistica, the MoJ, and Judiciary, as well as members of the autistic community, police, solicitors, barristers, judges, intermediaries, and family and criminal court representatives (see letters of support).