Responding to people with a learning disability who offend.

Abstract

This article reports on a small survey conducted in one NHS trust to establish the number of people with a learning disability known by staff to have committed, or be alleged to have committed, an offence. A sample of 35 members of staff who were likely to be in contact with this client group were sent questionnaires. Thirty responses were received, giving a response rate of 86 per cent. A total of four nurses and two clinical psychologists were in contact with 31 individuals known or alleged to have committed an offence. These offences were mainly sexual and some were violent. Several individuals had committed a number of separate offences. Respondents felt that the needs of these individuals were not adequately met by current service provision. A planned inter-agency response is required to deal with people with learning disabilities who carry out criminal offences, rather than the current system which is vague in terms of allocating responsibility for action. The nurse's role in providing sexual health education for those with learning disabilities also needs to be considered in the light of the survey results.