Practicing social justice with persons with developmental disabilities who enter the criminal justice system

Abstract

Summary Persons with developmental disabilities who enter the criminal justice system face injustices throughout the process. For example, their disability often goes undetected, they are more likely to incriminate themselves because they do not understand their Miranda rights, they are more likely to be imprisoned rather than receive probation, and they typically serve longer prison sentences. Based upon a review of the literature and the experiences of one program, this article provides strategies for practicing social justice with this population, which require intervention at the individual, organizational, and social policy levels.