In The Politics of Autism, I discuss interactions between the justice system and autistic people.
It's another busy afternoon in Judge Sunny Bailey’s courtroom.
“The terms and conditions will be as follows, you need to stay out of trouble,” she tells a young defendant.
One by one teenagers arrive for a status check, but this is no ordinary juvenile delinquency caseload.
Everyone on the docket is autistic. Requiring something more from the justice system.
“The regular probation system doesn't account for the type of thinking and the type of needs that kids on the spectrum have,” explains Chief Deputy District Attorney Summer Clarke. “So, by having DAAY court we have services and providers right there that we can plug in.”
DAAY court, or Detention Alternative for Autistic Youth aims to do exactly what the name implies.
Keep young offenders out of lockup, and the revolving door that can be the criminal justice system.
