Vol.:(0123456789) 1 3 J Autism Dev Disord DOI 10.1007/s10803-017-3182-5 ORIGINAL PAPER Correlates of Police Involvement Among Adolescents and Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder Ami Tint 1,2  · Anna M. Palucka 2,3  · Elspeth Bradley 3  · Jonathan A. Weiss 1  · Yona Lunsky 2,3   © Springer Science+Business Media New York 2017 Arrigo 1999). Individuals with autism spectrum disor- der (ASD) may interact with police in diferent situations, including as a result of co-occurring psychiatric and medi- cal comorbidities (Croen et al. 2015; Levy et al. 2010), frequent problem behaviors (e.g., aggression, elopement; Anderson et al. 2012; Mazurek et al. 2013), and victimi- zation (Brown-Lavoie et al. 2014; Sterzing et al. 2012). Indeed, it is estimated that approximately 20% of youth with ASD have interacted with law enforcement ofcers by the age of 21 (Rava et al. 2017). Members of the ASD com- munity (i.e., parents and adults with ASD) have expressed dissatisfaction with their experiences, and police ofcers have similarly asserted a need for specialized training on ASD (Crane et al. 2016; Helverschou et al. 2017). A bet- ter understanding of police encounters with individuals with ASD is important to inform training and prevention measures. Autism spectrum disorder has received considerable attention in the forensic literature and mainstream media due to its alleged relationship with criminal behavior (Cashin and Newman 2009; Jones and Harwood 2009; Ver- meiren et al. 2006). There is little evidence, however, of the overrepresentation of individuals with ASD in the criminal justice system (Bjørkly 2009; Cashin and Newman 2009; Heeramun et al. 2017; King and Murphy 2014; Mourid- sen 2012). Conversely, individuals with ASD may be at a disproportionately high risk of experiencing abuse and victimization (Brown-Lavoie et al. 2014; Bureau of Justice Statistics 2014; Edelson 2010; Sevlever et al. 2013). None- theless, in a recent nationally representative U.S. based study (Rava et al. 2017), 920 adolescents and young adults with ASD aged 15–19 years were found to be stopped and questioned by law enforcement ofcers at much higher rates than they received criminal convictions. Further infor- mation, from diferent jurisdictions, regarding the specifc Abstract This study aimed to describe police interac- tions, satisfaction with police engagement, as well as exam- ine correlates of police involvement among 284 adolescents and adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) followed over a 12- to 18-month period. Approximately 16% of indi- viduals were reported to have some form of police involve- ment during the study period. Aggressive behaviors were the primary concern necessitating police involvement. Individuals with police involvement were more likely to be older, have a history of aggression, live outside the family home, and have parents with higher rates of caregiver strain and fnancial difculty at baseline. Most parents reported being satisfed to very satisfed with their children’s police encounters. Areas for future research are discussed in rela- tion to prevention planning. Keywords Police · Autism spectrum disorder · Criminal justice system · Victimization Introduction Police assume a variety of roles in the community, often acting as gatekeepers to the medical, mental health, and criminal justice systems (Lamb et al. 2002; Patch and * Yona Lunsky yona.lunsky@camh.ca 1 York University, 4700 Keele Street, Toronto, ON M3J 1P3, Canada 2 Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, 1001 Queen St. W., Toronto, ON M5V 2B4, Canada 3 University of Toronto, 250 College Street, Toronto, ON M5T 1R8, Canada