Neurodivergence in Criminal Justice Network (NICJN)

The Neurodivergence in Criminal Justice Network (NICJN) is a newly established group of researchers, practitioners and community members interested in the challenges faced by neurodivergent individuals drawn into the criminal justice system of England and Wales.

‘Neurodivergence’ commonly describes cognitive development which varies from the typical, related primarily to learning, attention, sensory processing, and mood regulation. Neurodivergent conditions include autism, Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), and dyslexia among numerous others.

Individuals drawn into the criminal justice system (CJS) – as suspects, defendants, victims or witnesses – generally face significant challenges due to the stressful, complex and specialised nature of criminal proceedings. This is acute for vulnerable persons, including those with physical and mental health issues.

Due to the nature of neurodivergent conditions and the manner in which the CJS operates, engagement can be particularly challenging for neurodivergent individuals, with evidence suggesting that significant barriers to a positive and effective experience remain at all stages, including in policing, courts and prisons.

The NICJN brings together key voices in relation to neurodivergence (as described above) and the CJS (covering the processes of policing, courts, prisons, and probations) in England and Wales:

• researchers (from varied disciplines including forensic science, psychology, and law)
• clinical, legal (e.g. police, lawyers, judiciary) and other relevant practitioners
• community members who are neurodivergent or have a personal connection to neurodivergent individuals with ‘lived experience’ of the CJS.

The primary purposes of the NICJN are as follows:

• exchange: aid dialogue and knowledge exchange between the different but related communities above; provide a platform for these communities to share their work, interests, activities and voice
• connect: act as a ‘switchboard’ connecting the different communities/individuals; act as a ‘hub’ for knowledge and expertise, promoting access to literature, information, and specialist knowledge.

The broad, long-term aims of the NICJN are to:

• embed research into practice: by enabling research, knowledge and lived experience to better penetrate criminal justice practice
• raise awareness: by providing access to different communities’ knowledge and experience, therefore more widely raising awareness and understanding
• promote reform: by pursuing positive changes through both exchange between the members of the network, and with relevant external groups (e.g. policymakers, parliamentarians, charities)
• advancing knowledge: through collaborative publication, presentation, evidence-gathering and bids for funding.

The NICJN has more than 160 members from academic, clinical practice, the legal profession and the neurodivergent community. The membership directory below lists members who have consented to have some of their details made publicly available, with the aim of helping interested parties identify expertise in different areas of neurodivergence and criminal justice.

NICJN Coordinators

• Dr Tom Smith, Associate Professor in Law, UWE Bristol
• Dr Nicole Renehan, ESRC Research Fellow, Durham University

View the list of NICJN members (PDF)

To join the NICJN, please subscribe to our JISC mailing list. This is our main method of communication with and between members. You can subscribe by visiting the NICJN JISC page and clicking on the subscribe button.

Subscribe to our JISC mailing list

The NICJN Resource Collection aims to provide an accessible, 'one-stop shop' for identifying a variety of literature, reports, accounts, toolkits and other resources related to neurodivergence and criminal justice. The goal is for the collection to enable anyone to easily locate useful information and insight on this subject.

The collection is divided into sections for ease of use - it is, however, recognised that the distinctions are, to an extent, artificial; there is often overlap between issues for different neurodivergent conditions at different points of the criminal justice process. It is also important to note that the collection is a work in progress - both in terms of the resources listed and the sections included.

The collection is also open access – anyone can access and edit it (using Google Sheets); if you know of resources you think should be included, we’d encourage you to add them! If you do add items, we would ask that you ideally:

• copy the current structure/style used
• provide a link to the resource you are adding.

If you have questions about editing the collection or, if you think there are resources or sections which should be added to the collection, please get in touch with us by email (NICJN@uwe.ac.uk).

View or edit the Resource Collection 

The launch of NICJN on 27 July 2021 was themed around Autism in Criminal Justice. It included presentations by a range of experts of autism and policing, courts, and prisons; the accounts of individuals with lived experience; and the scope and aims of the network were discussed.

Read about the NICJN launch event (PDF)

If you have any queries about the NICJN or about joining, please contact the network at neurodivergenceincriminaljustice@jiscmail.ac.uk or nicjn@uwe.ac.uk.