OFFENDING BY ADULTS WITH LEARNING-DISABILITIES AND THE ATTITUDES OF STAFF TO OFFENDING BEHAVIOR - IMPLICATIONS FOR SERVICE DEVELOPMENT

The aims of this study were: (1) to identify all adults with learning disabilities living in residential homes or attending day services in the Cambridge Health District in contact with the criminal justice sys tem during 1992; (2) to evaluate the responses of services involved; a nd (3) to investigate the attitudes of staff and the policies of the s ervices to 'offending behaviour'. Details of offences committed and th e response of the police, health and social services, and other agenci es were obtained by direct interview with the senior staff and through examination of case records. The attitudes of staff to offending beha viour was investigated by the use of a semi-structured questionnaire. Seven (2%) out of 358 adults with teaming disabilities were reported t o have had contact with the police during 1992. The eight offences all egedly committed by the seven people were two acquisitive offences, tw o sexual offences, one assault, one wasting of police time, one offenc e against the Public Order Act and one traffic offence. One offender w as cautioned after the Crown Prosecution Service discontinued the case because of lack of evidence, while the other alleged offenders receiv ed informal warnings. None of the seven alleged offenders were prosecu ted. Three alleged offenders lived in hostel accommodation, yet hostel accommodation only accounts for 7.8% of adults with learning disabili ties living in the Cambridge Health District. Because of a lack of ope rational policies on offending behaviour, there were no existing refer ral structures for people who might need specialist health service sup port. Referrals tended to be inconsistent, with a considerable time-la g between offence and referral. Tolerance levels towards offending beh aviour were extremely high in the two hostels, 20 group homes and day centres which were included in this study. Theft and criminal damage w as hardly ever reported. Thirty establishments were visited during the course of this study. Of these establishments, staff in 12 said they would always report a major assault. In only three would a sexual assa ult or indecent exposure always be reported if it was to occur. Staff at one residential establishment said they would hesitate to report ra pe and the staff in another two would consider the circumstances befor e reporting it to the police.