Autism Spectrum Disorders in Imprisoned Women: A Concise Systematic Review

Research suggests that autism rates may be higher in justice-involved populations than in the general population, but studies have focused on men. The aim of this concise systematic review was to report on the prevalence of autism spectrum disorder in women serving prison sentences, and to describe their biopsychosocial and criminal history characteristics. The systematic search yielded only two papers, from the same study. It reported prevalence rates among adolescents in secure care in England and Wales at a specific date in 2016. There were no young women with an autism spectrum condition in the youth justice system. Studies of imprisoned women with autism are scarce. There is a need for future studies of this important issue.