Skip to main content Accessibility help

We use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. Close this message to accept cookies or find out how to manage your cookie settings.

Close cookie message
×
Hostname: page-component-848d4c4894-75dct Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-30T22:56:24.923Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Chapter 8 - Overview of Offenders with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders

from Section 1 - An Overview: Definitions, Epidemiology and Policy Issues

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 May 2023

By
Raja Mukherjee ,
Penny A. Cook ,
David Gilbert  and
Clare S. Allely
Edited by
Jane M. McCarthy ,
Regi T. Alexander  and
Eddie Chaplin
Jane M. McCarthy
Affiliation:
Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust and University of Auckland
Regi T. Alexander
Affiliation:
Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust and University of Hertfordshire
Eddie Chaplin
Affiliation:
Institute of Health and Social Care, London South Bank University
Get access

Summary

This chapter gives an overview of research on offenders with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASDs). We present a history of FASDs and assessment challenges, and describe the diagnostic process. Then we present the epidemiology of FASDs in young offenders: challenges with estimating the prevalence of FASDs; prevalence of FASDs in the criminal justice system; FASD prevalence in young offenders in comparison with other neurodevelopmental disorders; and the patterns, risk and protective factors of justice system encounters in young offenders with FASDs. We then focus on the relationship between FASDs and the criminal justice system in young offenders. We discuss the path to criminal justice encounters and the vulnerabilities of FASD-impacted individuals during investigative interviews. Finally, we discuss the ability to stand trials in young offenders with neurodevelopmental disorders with a focus on FASDs, the roles that evidence of FASDs plays in judicial proceedings, fitness to stand trial, FASD knowledge and awareness among criminal justice system professionals, and give recommendations for questioning individuals with neurodevelopmental disorders during judicial proceedings.

Keywords

FASDneurodevelopmental disordersautism spectrum disorderADHDcriminal justice systemyouth offendingsuggestibility
Type
Chapter
Information
Forensic Aspects of Neurodevelopmental Disorders
A Clinician's Guide
 , pp. 84 - 100
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2023

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Jones, KL, Smith, DW. Recognition of the fetal alcohol syndrome. Lancet 1973; 302(7836): 999–1001.Google Scholar
Lemoine, P, Harousseau, H, Borteryu, JP, Menuet, JC. les enfants des parents alcoholiques: anomolies observees a propos de 127 cas. Quest Medical 1968; 25(476): 482.Google Scholar
Institute of Medicine. Fetal Alcohol Syndrome: Diagnosis, Epidemiology, Prevention, and Treatment. National Academies Press, 1996.Google Scholar
Astley, SJP, Stachowiak, JR, Clarren, SKM, Clausen, CR. Application of the fetal alcohol syndrome facial photographic screening tool in a foster care population. Journal of Pediatrics 2002; 141(5): 712–17.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chudley, AE, Conry, J, Cook, JL, Loock, C, Rosales, T, LeBlanc, N. Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder: Canadian guidelines for diagnosis. Canadian Medical Association Journal 2005; 172(5 suppl): S1–S21.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Cook, JL, Green, CR, Lilley, CM, Anderson, SM, Baldwin, ME, Chudley, AE, et al. Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder: a guideline for diagnosis across the lifespan. Canadian Medical Association Journal 2016; 188(3): 191–7.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bower, C, Elliott, EJ, Zimmet, M, Doorey, J, Wilkins, A, Russell, V, et al. Australian guide to the diagnosis of foetal alcohol spectrum disorder: a summary. Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health 2017; 53(10): 1021–3.Google Scholar
American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th edition: DSM-5. American Psychiatric Association, 2013.Google Scholar
Healthcare Improvement Scotland. SIGN 156. Children and young people exposed to prenatal alcohol. 2019. Available at: www.sign.ac.uk/media/1092/sign156.pdf.Google Scholar
National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. FASD quality standards consultation. 2022. Available at: www.nice.org.uk/guidance/indevelopment/gid-qs10139/documents.Google Scholar
Mukherjee, RAS, Wray, E, Curfs, L, Hollins, S. Knowledge and opinions of professional groups concerning FASD in the UK. Journal of Adoption and Fostering 2015; 39: 212–24.Google Scholar
Suttie, M, Wetherill, L, Jacobson, SW, Jacobson, JL, Hoyme, HE, Sowell, ER, et al. Facial curvature detects and explicates ethnic differences in effects of prenatal alcohol exposure. Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research 2017; 41(8): 1471–83.Google Scholar
McQuire, C, Mukherjee, R, Hurt, L, Higgins, A, Greene, G, Farewell, D, et al. Screening prevalence of fetal alcohol spectrum disorders in a region of the United Kingdom: a population-based birth-cohort study. Preventive Medicine 2019; 118: 344–51.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mukherjee, RAS. The relationship between ADHD and FASD. Thrombus 2016; 8: 4–7.Google Scholar
Mukherjee, RAS, Layton, M, Yacoub, E, Turk, JT. Autism and autistic traits in people exposed to heavy prenatal alcohol: data from a clinical series of 21 individuals and a nested case control study. Advances in Mental Health and Intellectual Disability 2011; 5: 43–9.Google Scholar
Mohamed, Z, Carlisle, ACS, Livesey, AC, Mukherjee, RAS. Comparisons of the BRIEF parental report and neuropsychological clinical tests of executive function in fetal alcohol spectrum disorders: data from the UK national specialist clinic. Child Neuropsychology 2019; 25(5): 648–63.Google Scholar
Popova, S, Lange, S, Shield, K, Mihic, A, Chudley, AE, Mukherjee, RAS, et al. Comorbidity of fetal alcohol spectrum disorders: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Lancet 2016; 387: 978–87.Google Scholar
Douzgou, S, Breen, C, Crow, YJ, Chandler, K, Metcalfe, K, Jones, E, et al. Diagnosing fetal alcohol syndrome: new insights from newer genetic technologies. Archives of Diseases in Children 2012; 97(9): 812–17.Google Scholar
Preece, PM, Riley, EP. Alcohol, Drugs and Medication in Pregnancy. Mac Keith Press, 2011.Google Scholar
Mukherjee, RAS, Cook, PA, Norgate, SH, Price, AD. Neurodevelopmental outcomes in individuals with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) with and without exposure to neglect: clinical cohort data from a national FASD diagnostic clinic. Alcohol 2019; 7: 23–8.Google Scholar
Streissguth, AP, O’Malley, K. Neuropsychiatric implications and long-term consequences of fetal alcohol spectrum disorders. Seminars in Clinical Neuropsychiatry 2000; 5(3): 177–90.Google Scholar
Morleo, M, Woolfall, K, Dedman, D, Mukherjee, RAS, Bellis, MA, Cook, PA. Under-reporting of fetal alcohol spectrum disorders: an analysis of hospital episode statistics. BMC Paediatrics 2011; 11: 14.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lange, S., Probst, C., Gmel, G., Rehm, J., Burd, L., & Popova, S. (2017). Global prevalence of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder among children and youth: a systematic review and meta-analysis. JAMA pediatrics, 171(10), 948–956.Google Scholar
May, PA, Chambers, CD, Kalberg, Wo, Zellner, J, Feldman, H, Buckley, D, et al., Prevalence of fetal alcohol spectrum disorders in 4 US communities. JAMA 2018; 319(5): 474–83.Google Scholar
Burd, L, Selfridge, R, Klug, M, Bakko, S. Fetal alcohol syndrome in the United States corrections system. Addiction Biology 2004; 9(2): 169–78.Google Scholar
Bower, C, Watkins, RE, Mutch, RC, Marriott, R, Freeman, J, Kippin, NR, et al. Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder and youth justice: a prevalence study among young people sentenced to detention in Western Australia. BMJ Open 2018; 8(2): e019605.Google Scholar
Popova, S, Lange, S, Bekmuradov, D, Mihic, A, Rehm, J. Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder prevalence estimates in correctional systems: a systematic literature review. Canadian Journal of Public Health 2011; 102(5): 336–40.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Selwyn, J, Wijedesa, D. Pathways to adoption for minority ethnic children in England: reasons for entry to care. Child and Family Social Work 2011; 16(3): 276–86.Google Scholar
Gregory, G, Reddy, V, Young, C. Identifying children who are at risk of FASD in Peterborough: working in a community clinic without access to gold standard dignosis. Journal of Adoption and Fostering 2015; 39(3): 225–34.Google Scholar
Fitzpatrick, C. Looked After Children and the Criminal Justice System. John Wiley & Sons, 2009.Google Scholar
Young, S, Moss, D, Sedgwick, O, Fridman, M, Hodgkins, P. A meta-analysis of the prevalence of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in incarcerated populations. Psychological Medicine 2015; 45(2): 247–58.Google Scholar
Dalsgaard, S, Mortensen, PB, Frydenberg, M, Thomsen, PH. Long-term criminal outcome of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Criminal Behaviour and Mental Health 2013; 23(2): 86–98.Google Scholar
Satterfield, J, Swanson, J, Schell, A, Lee, F. Prediction of antisocial behavior in attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder boys from aggression/defiance scores. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry 1994; 33(2): 185–90.Google Scholar
Rösler, M, Retz, W, Yaqoobi, K, Burg, E, Retz-Junginger, P. Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder in female offenders: prevalence, psychiatric comorbidity and psychosocial implications. European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience 2009; 259(2): 98–105.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Rösler, M, Retz, W, Retz-Junginger, P, Hengesch, G, Schneider, M, Supprian, T, et al. Prevalence of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and comorbid disorders in young male prison inmates. European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience 2004; 254(6): 365–71.Google Scholar
Haapasalo, J, Hämäläinen, T. Childhood family problems and current psychiatric problems among young violent and property offenders. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry 1996; 35(10): 1394–401.Google Scholar
Young, S, Moss, D, Sedgwick, O, Fridman, M, Hodgkins, P. A meta-analysis of the prevalence of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in incarcerated populations. Psychological Medicine 2015; 45(2): 247–58.Google Scholar
Baird, G, Simonoff, E, Pickles, A, Chandler, S, Loucas, T, Meldrum, D, Charman, T. (2006). Prevalence of disorders of the autism spectrum in a population cohort of children in South Thames: the special needs and autism project (SNAP). Lancet 368, 210–215.Google Scholar
Kawamura, Y, Takahashi, O, Ishii, T. Reevaluating the incidence of pervasive developmental disorders: impact of elevated rates of detection through implementation of an integrated system of screening in Toyota, Japan. Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences 2008; 62(2): 152–9.Google Scholar
Kumagami, T, Matsuura, N. Prevalence of pervasive developmental disorder in juvenile court cases in Japan. Journal of Forensic Psychiatry and Psychology 2009; 20(6): 974–87.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ståhlberg, O, Anckarsäter, H, Nilsson, T. Mental health problems in youths committed to juvenile institutions: prevalences and treatment needs. European Child and Adolescent Psychiatry 2010; 19: 893–903.Google Scholar
Gillberg, C, Cederlund, M, Lamberg, K, Zeijlon, L. Brief report: ‘the autism epidemic’. the registered prevalence of autism in a Swedish urban area. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders 2006; 36(3): 429–35.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Streissguth, AP, Bookstein, FL, Barr, HM, Sampson, PD, O’Malley, K, Young, JK. Risk factors for adverse life outcomes in fetal alcohol syndrome and fetal alcohol effects. Journal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics 2004; 25(4): 228–38.Google Scholar
McLachlan, K, Roesch, R, Viljoen, JL, Douglas, KS. Evaluating the psycholegal abilities of young offenders with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder. Law and Human Behavior 2014; 38(1): 10–22.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Douglas, H, Hammill, J, Hall, W, Russell, E. Judicial views of foetal alcohol spectrum disorder in Queensland’s criminal justice system. Journal of Judicial Administration 2012; 21(3): 178–88.Google Scholar
Reid, N, Dawe, S, Harnett, P, Shelton, D, Hutton, L, O’Callaghan, F. Feasibility study of a family-focused intervention to improve outcomes for children with FASD. Research in Developmental Disabilities 2017; 67: 34–46.Google Scholar
Fast, DK, Conry, J. Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders and the criminal justice system. Developmental Disabilities Research Reviews 2009; 15(3): 250–7.Google Scholar
Corrado, R, Freedman, L. Risk profiles, trajectories, and intervention points for serious and chronic young offenders. International Journal of Child, Youth and Family Studies 2011; 2(2.1): 197–232.Google Scholar
Gudjonsson, GH. The Psychology of Interrogations, Confessions and Testimony. John Wiley & Sons, 1992.Google Scholar
Central Planning and Training Unit. A Guide to Interviewing. Central Planning and Training Unit, 1992.Google Scholar
Inbau, F, Reid, J, Buckley, J, Jayne, B. Criminal Interrogation and Confessions. Jones & Bartlett Publishers, 2011.Google Scholar
Leo, RA. Inside the interrogation room. Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology 1996; 86: 266–303.Google Scholar
Gudjonsson, GH. The psychological vulnerabilities of witnesses and the risk of false accusations and false confessions. In Heaton-Armstrong, A, Shepherd, E, Gudjonsson, G, Wolchover, D, eds., Witness Testimony. Psychological, Investigative and Evidential Perspectives. Oxford University Press, 2006: 61–75.Google Scholar
Kassin, SM. The psychology of confession evidence. American Psychologist 1997; 52(3): 221.Google Scholar
Gudjonsson, GH. Psychological vulnerabilities during police interviews. Why are they important? Legal and Criminological Psychology 2010; 15(2): 161–75.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Streissguth, AP, Bookstein, FL, Barr, HM, Press, S, Sampson, PD. A fetal alcohol behavior scale. Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research 1998; 22(2): 325–33.Google Scholar
Stuss, DT, Benson, DF. Neuropsychological studies of the frontal lobes. Psychological Bulletin 1984; 95(1): 3–28.Google Scholar
Brown, NN, Gudjonsson, G, Connor, P. Suggestibility and fetal alcohol spectrum disorders: I’ll tell you anything you want to hear. Journal of Psychiatry and Law 2011; 39(1): 39–71.Google Scholar
Gudjonsson, GH, Sigurdsson, JF, Bragason, OO, Newton, AK, Einarsson, E. Interrogative suggestibility, compliance and false confessions among prisoners and their relationship with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms. Psychological Medicine 2008; 38(7): 1037–44.Google Scholar
Baxter, JS, Jackson, M, Bain, SA. Interrogative suggestibility: interactions between interviewees’ self-esteem and interviewer style. Personality and Individual Differences 2003; 35(6): 1285–92.Google Scholar
Bain, SA, McGroarty, A, Runcie, M. Coping strategies, self-esteem and levels of interrogative suggestibility. Personality and Individual Differences 2015; 75: 85–9.Google Scholar
Gudjonsson, G, Vagni, M, Maiorano, T, Pajardi, D. Age and memory related changes in children’s immediate and delayed suggestibility using the Gudjonsson Suggestibility Scale. Personality and Individual Differences 2016; 102: 25–9.Google Scholar
Allely, CS, Cooper, P. Jurors’ and judges’ evaluation of defendants with autism and the impact on sentencing: a systematic Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) review of autism spectrum disorder in the courtroom. Journal of Law and Medicine 2017; 25(1): 105–23.Google ScholarPubMed
Sorge, GB. Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder persons in Canadian criminal proceedings. York University, 2006.Google Scholar
Gagnier, KR, Moore, TE, Green, JM. A need for closer examination of FASD by the criminal justice system: has the call been answered? Journal of Population Therapeutics and Clinical Pharmacology 2011; 18(3): e426–e39.Google Scholar
Douds, AS, Stevens, HR, Sumner, WE. Sword or shield? A systematic review of the roles FASD evidence plays in judicial proceedings. Criminal Justice Policy Review 2013; 24(4): 492–509.Google Scholar
Clare, ICH, Gudjonsson, GH. Interrogative suggestibility, confabulation, and acquiescence in people with mild learning disabilities (mental handicap): implications for reliability during police interrogation. British Journal of Clinical Psychology 1993; 32: 295–301.Google Scholar
Mela, M, Flannigan, K, Anderson, T, Nelson, M, Krishnan, S, Chizea, C, et al. Neurocognitive function and fetal alcohol spectrum disorder in offenders with mental disorders. Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law 2020; 48(2): 195–208.Google Scholar
Roach, K, Bailey, A. The relevance of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder in Canadian criminal law from investigation to sentencing. UBC Law Review 2009; 42: 1–68.Google Scholar
Mutch, RC, Jones, HM, Bower, C, Watkins, RE. Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders: using knowledge, attitudes and practice of justice professionals to support their educational needs. Journal of Population Therapeutics and Clinical Pharmacology 2016; 23(1): e77–e89.Google Scholar
Murphy, D. Interviewing individuals with an autism spectrum disorder in forensic settings. International Journal of Forensic Mental Health 2018; 17(4): 310–20.Google Scholar
Advocate’s Gateway. Planning to question someone with autism spectrum disorder including Asperger syndrome. Advocate’s Gateway Toolkit 3. 2013. Available at: http://files.campus.edublogs.org/blogs.city.ac.uk/dist/5/192/files/2012/06/Autism-spectrum-disorder-192pnxv.pdf.Google Scholar
Allely, CS, Mukherjee, RAS. Suggestibility, false confessions and competency to stand trial in individuals with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders: current concerns and recommendations. Journal of Criminal Psychology 2019; 9(4): 166–72.Google Scholar

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure coreplatform@cambridge.org is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

Available formats
×