Growing up with HIV: The experiences of young people living with HIV since birth in the UK

About the book: This book draws together a range of both classic and newly commissioned pieces on the multidisciplinary study of death and dying. Organized into five parts, the book begins with a general exploration of the meaning of death, before moving on to consider caring at the end-of-life. Further readings explore the moral and ethical dilemmas in the context of death and dying. The fourth part of the book examines the issue of grief and ritual after death. The final part considers some of the issues that arise when researching the field of death and dying. By drawing together information, reflection, and experience this authoritative text will broaden your understanding of the subject area. The book is designed as a core text for students in nursing, medicine, social work, counseling, and health and social care. It will also be essential reading for all professionals and care givers who come into contact with death and bereavement

The criminal justice system and people on the autism spectrum: perspectives on awareness and identification

Individuals with a diagnosis of autism are seven times more likely to be represented in criminal justice statistics compared to people without this diagnosis (Debbaunt, 2004). This signals the need for further investigation into the practices of professionals working in these areas; in particular, the extent of their awareness and understanding of autism. This paper reports on a qualitative study undertaken with 30 people working in probation, a community rehabilitation company, police, and liaison and diversion services in a county in the North of England. Interviews were conducted between July and September 2017. While a number of criminal justice professionals possessed some experience of autism in their personal or professional practice, several professionals struggled to accurately identify what autism is, and how it could impact on an individual’s communication style; which could represent a barrier to effective communication between providers and service users. These results add to the body of literature on the subject of criminal justice services and alleged offenders who are on the autism spectrum and aims to raise awareness and promote discussion on this important subject

Adults with a diagnosis of autism: personal experiences of engaging with regional criminal justice services

This paper reports on interviews undertaken with four adults with a diagnosis of autism, about their experiences of engaging with regional Criminal Justice Services (CJS) as victims, witnesses or perpetrators of a crime. Participants were recruited through an autism-specific charity, Triple A Project (All About Autism). These interviews comprised the second phase of a two-stage project; the first phase involved interviews with members of the charity and revealed differences in perceptual frames of reference between individual participants with a diagnosis of autism and CJS professionals that led to miscommunication and misunderstanding. Key findings from the research suggest that specific challenges with lateral thought and interpretation can mean that individuals on the autism spectrum are potentially vulnerable to finding themselves implicated as perpetrators or victims of a criminal act. This research represents an important development concerning the question of autism and criminality; the researchers sought to extend the academic discourse beyond an examination of the perspectives of professionals to give voice to the perspectives of experts by experience with a diagnosis of autism

‘Street' policing and autism: perceptions and preconceptions of police officers when interacting with autistic suspects in the community

This chapter offers a critical consideration of how police officers' perceptions of autistic individuals encountered within a community policing context could be affected by the officers' level of awareness and understanding about autism. The first contact for a suspect within the criminal justice system is usually in the community at the time of arrest. As the reported prevalence rate of autism in the community increases, police officers on the beat are increasingly likely to become involved with autistic individuals. Police officers' perceptions and the level of awareness and understanding of autism they bring to their work has a significant impact on the quality of their interactions with those autistic individuals suspected of committing a crime and impact the outcome. There is a limited amount of research on how differences in perceptual frameworks influence the interactions between officers and autistic suspects. Furthermore, frontline officers in England and Wales currently receive limited training on autism, and it is questionable whether this training covers concepts such as perception or empathy. This chapter will propose that autism training for officers on the beat needs to include awareness of perceptual differences and empathetic communication to close what is an identified gap in theory and practice. The chapter reviews police officers' interaction with autistic adults in the ‘street' context, followed by a discussion of the adequacy of autism training for police officers. The concept of empathy in the training of police officers will be explored, as well as discussion of how Milton's ‘double empathy problem' can help to overcome the empathy divide. The chapter concludes by proposing ‘encounter groups' as a useful means of developing a mutual understanding of autism between police officers and the autistic community