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Scottish prison officials believe a large proportion of prisoners in secure units have undiagnosed learning disabilities and autistic spectrum disorders (ASD), writes Haroon Ashraf.
 
A survey carried out by the Scottish Development Centre for Mental Health also found that national policies for the care of these people were not consistently applied.

“The combination of complex individual needs and the lack of clear service responsibility and policy focus may further increase the risk of social exclusion for this vulnerable group of people,” said the survey, commissioned by the Scottish Executive.

“This is the first time such a comprehensive study has been undertaken and the findings provide vital information”, said National Austistic Society in Scotland spokeswoman Shabnum Mustapha.

The survey examined anonymous data on 49 people with learning problems, including Asperger’s syndrome, and ASDs sampled from Scotland’s state hospital, 16 prisons, six secure accommodation units for children, and 24 specialist in-patient units for people with mental health problems.

The study only found a small number of people with learning problems and ASD but said that prison authorities believed a larger number had not been identified and assessed.

It found a significant number of these people were high risk offenders but were also vulnerable to exploitation, bullying or abuse from other residents.

Prison staff and managers felt that people with learning disabilities and/or ASD “did not fit in easily with the core business of the secure settings”.

In particular the respondents felt that women with mental health problems had needs beyond those which mainstream secure units could provide.