Perceptions of FASD by United States district attorneys

Journal of Intellectual Disabilities and Offending Behaviour,Volume 7, Issue 4, December 2016. Purpose The majority of individuals diagnosed with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) will become involved with the criminal justice system during their lifetime. Due to the signs and symptoms of their illness, the psycholegal impairments presented by such alleged offenders pose unique challenges for the attorneys tasked with prosecuting their crimes. This said, little is known about the training and courtroom background of District Attorneys with this population. Design/methodology/approach A Web-based survey was developed to investigate the knowledge bases and legal experiences of United States District Attorneys concerning FASD, and to compare these across sexes, legal experience levels, as well as geographical regions. The survey was distributed electronically to all United States District Attorneys following the Dillman Total Design Method. Surveys were completed by 216 respondents (nMen = 166; nWomen = 50; nNortheast = 32; nSouth = 102; nMidwest = 36; nWest = 46) with an average of 25.03 years (SD = 10.71) of legal experience. Findings Participants displayed variable levels of knowledge concerning the signs and symptoms of FASD and underestimated how often persons with FASD become involved in the criminal justice system. The majority of participants had never received training on the psycholegal impairments of individuals diagnosed with FASD and reported that they woul...

Source: Journal of Intellectual Disabilities and Offending Behaviour - October 17, 2016 Category: Criminology Source Type: research