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The prevention of offending behaviour by people with intellectual disabilities: a case for specialist childhood and adolescent early intervention

Verity Chester (Department of Psychiatry, St Johns House, Harleston, UK)
Harriet Wells (Department of Psychology, St Johns House, Harleston, UK)
Mark Lovell (Department of Psychiatry, Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust, Durham, UK)
Clare Melvin (Department of Psychology, Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust, St Albans, UK) (The Tizard Centre, University of Kent, Canterbury, UK)
Samuel Joseph Tromans (Department of Intellectual Disability Psychiatry, Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust, Leicester, UK) (Department of Health Sciences, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK)

Advances in Mental Health and Intellectual Disabilities

ISSN: 2044-1282

Article publication date: 4 September 2019

Issue publication date: 4 September 2019

418

Abstract

Purpose

Elucidating where antisocial or violent behaviour arises within the life course of individuals with intellectual disability (ID) could improve outcomes within this population, through informing services and interventions which prevent behaviours reaching a forensic threshold. The paper aims to discuss this issue.

Design/methodology/approach

The Historical Clinical Risk Management-20, Version 3 assessments of a cohort of 84 inpatients within a forensic ID service were analysed for this study, with a particular emphasis on items concerned with the age at which antisocial or violence first emerged.

Findings

For most participants, violent or antisocial behaviour was first observed in childhood or adolescence. The study also highlighted a smaller subgroup, whose problems with violence or antisocial behaviour were first observed in adulthood.

Originality/value

The study findings suggest that targeted services in childhood and adolescence may have a role in reducing the offending behaviour and forensic involvement of people with ID. This has implications for the service models provided for children and adolescents with ID with challenging or offending behaviour.

Keywords

Citation

Chester, V., Wells, H., Lovell, M., Melvin, C. and Tromans, S.J. (2019), "The prevention of offending behaviour by people with intellectual disabilities: a case for specialist childhood and adolescent early intervention", Advances in Mental Health and Intellectual Disabilities, Vol. 13 No. 5, pp. 216-227. https://doi.org/10.1108/AMHID-03-2019-0008

Publisher

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Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2019, Emerald Publishing Limited

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