Developmentally Disabled Adults and the Criminal Justice System

• In Event: Special Populations of Offenders with Mental Illness

Abstract

This presentation will continue to look at adults with developmental disabilities in Massachusetts and their involvement in the criminal justice system. Specific demographics, such as age, race, offense, and diagnosis, will be assessed for correlations with arrest. Recidivism will also be analyzed by assessing rates pre- and post-intervention (i.e. involvement in CLASS, Inc. day program, an organization based in the Merrimack Valley that serves those with developmental disabilities and provides them with support, training, and employment opportunities, based on their level of functioning and individual needs). Pathways will be analyzed for trends in when and how services/treatments are rendered, and to identify any points within the system(s) where specific and targeted interventions could be developed and implemented.

Author

• Kellie Wallace, University of Massachusetts Lowell