REVIEW PAPER A Scoping Review of Autism Spectrum Disorder and the Criminal Justice System Kirsten S. Railey 1 & Abigail M. A. Love 1 & Jonathan M. Campbell 2 Received: 7 September 2019 /Accepted: 24 March 2020 # Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2020 Abstract The authors conducted a scoping review of peer-reviewed, empirical studies to summarize literature examining the interface between individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and the criminal justice system (CJS). The authors searched 13 professional databases and 28 journals using key terms related to ASD and the CJS. From a total of 678 articles, 55 met inclusion criteria and the authors organized studies into five thematic categories: (a) prevalence of ASD in CJS settings, (b) characteristics of individuals with ASD in CJS settings, (c) ASD experiences and perceptions of the CJS, (d) interviewing individuals with ASD in CJS settings, and (e) knowledge, perceptions, awareness, and training by CJS professionals. The review revealed a growing increase in ASD-CJS research and identified areas of future research. Keywords Autism . Criminal justice system . Law enforcement officer . Scoping review Understanding the foundation of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and criminal justice system (CJS) literature is an im- portant first step to establishing and maintaining positive in- teractions between CJS professionals, including law enforce- ment officers (LEOs), and individuals with ASD. With 1 in 59 individuals receiving an ASD diagnosis as of 2018 (Baio et al. 2018), research focused on ASD has also risen dramatically (Magyar 2010). Without considering the increased rate of in- teractions between LEOs and individuals with disabilities (Debbaudt and Rothman 2001; Henshaw and Thomas 2012), this rising incidence rate alone provides timely justifi- cation for a review of research between individuals with ASD and the CJS. Contact with the CJS can take a variety of forms, including interactions with LEOs in community and home settings, arrest, police custody, interviews with CJS professionals, or while individuals are involved in trial proceedings. King and Murphy (2014) completed a review of individuals with ASD and the CJS, primarily focusing on individuals with ASD who have demonstrated offending behavior. The authors identified seven studies that focused specifically on prevalence rates of ASD in CJS. However, their review drew attention to biased, small samples and “major methodological faults” within these studies (King and Murphy 2014, p. 2729), calling for more robust research based on unbiased samples. Research suggests that individuals with ASD are involved in interactions with LEO personnel as victims, suspects, and witnesses (Mayes 2003; Woodbury-Smith and Dein 2014) as well as in cases of elopement (Anderson et al. 2012). The current review will build upon King and Murphy’ s(2014) work by including articles that examine interactions with CJS as victims, perpe- trators, witnesses, and in other calls (e.g., elopement, domestic dispute). Decades after the deinstitutionalization of individuals with mental health concerns, LEOs play a critical role as primary gatekeepers to mental health services and the CJS (Lamb et al. 2002). For professionals working within the CJS, interacting successfully with diverse individuals is an occupational re- quirement. While CJS employees are not expected to profes- sionally diagnose, treat, or provide research-based * Kirsten S. Railey scheilkirsten@gmail.com Abigail M. A. Love amlove2@uky.edu Jonathan M. Campbell jmcampbell@wcu.edu 1 Department of Educational, Counseling, and School Psychology, University of Kentucky, 237 Dickey Hall, Lexington, KY 40506-0001, USA 2 Department of Psychology, Western Carolina University, 306-D Killian, 1 University Drive, Cullowhee, NC 28723, USA Review Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders https://doi.org/10.1007/s40489-020-00203-0