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3.5 - Intellectual Disabilities and Offending Behaviour

from Part III - Assessment

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 December 2021

By
John L. Taylor  and
Ian Freckelton
Edited by
Jennifer M. Brown  and
Miranda A. H. Horvath
Jennifer M. Brown
Affiliation:
London School of Economics and Political Science
Miranda A. H. Horvath
Affiliation:
University of Suffolk
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Summary

Offending behaviour and intellectual disabilities have long been associated in the literature. This erroneous linkage has had a significant influence on the development of services for this population. In this chapter, the relationship between intellectual disability and offending behaviour is outlined, along with legislative and criminal justice system issues that have impact on this client group. The historical and current policy context is described before the prevalence of offending and recidivism in this population is considered. Developments in risk assessment and clinical interventions for anger aggression, sexually harmful behavior and firesetting are briefly reviewed. Although over the last 20 years there have been significant developments in policy, service design, clinical assessment and treatment approaches for people with intellectual disabilities who offend or are at risk of offending, more rigorous and larger scale research is required to support further advances.

Keywords

Intellectual DisabilitiesOffending BehaviourTreatment InterventionsLegal Issues
Type
Chapter
Information
The Cambridge Handbook of Forensic Psychology , pp. 418 - 441
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2021

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