FETAL ALCOHOL SPECTRUM DISORDERS: USING KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDES AND PRACTICE OF JUSTICE PROFESSIONALS TO SUPPORT THEIR EDUCATIONAL NEEDS
Main Article Content
Keywords
Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders, judges, magistrates, lawyers, corrections officers, police
Abstract
Background
People with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) can be involved in high risk, socially unacceptable and harmful behaviours and are at high risk of engaging with the justice system.
Objective
To obtain baseline data on Western Australian justice professionals’ knowledge, attitudes and practice relating to FASD to inform the development of FASD resources.
Methods
Cross sectional study using online survey methods, descriptive analysis of quantitative data and content analysis methods for qualitative data.
Results
1873 people were invited to complete the survey. A total of 427 (23%) judicial officers, lawyers, corrective services personnel and police completed the survey. The majority had heard of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (85%) but were less familiar with FASD (60%). Only 16% of respondents identified the key features of FASD as permanent and only 48.4% considered psychological difficulties as important. The majority of legal and judicial officers and approximately half the police officers considered that knowledge about FASD was very relevant to their work.
Conclusion
There was widespread agreement of the need for more information and training about FASD to optimise outcomes for people with, or suspected of having a FASD , engaging with the justice system.
References
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19. Mark Totten and The Native Women's Association of Canada. Investigating the linkages between FASD, gangs, sexual exploitation and woman abuse in the Canadian Aboriginal Population: a preliminary trial. First Peoples Child and Family Review 2010; 5(2):9-22.
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26. Fast DK, Conry J, Loock CA. Identifying fetal alcohol syndrome among youth in the criminal justice system. Journal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics 1999;20(5):370-372.
27. Fast DK, Conry J. The challenge of fetal alcohol syndrome in the criminal legal system. Addiction Biology 2004;9(2):161-166; discussion 167-168.
28. Fast DK, Conry J. Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders and the criminal justice system. Developmental Disabilities Research Reviews 2009;15(3):250-257.
29. Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD and Confabulation: A Basic Understanding. Accessed on: March 26, 2016, http://www.mofas.org/2013/08/fetal-alcohol-spectrum-disorder-fasd-and-confabulation-a-basic-understanding/
30. Fast DK, Conry J, Loock CA. Identifying fetal alcohol syndrome among youth in the criminal justice system. J Dev Behav Pediatr 1999; 20(5):370-372.
31. Cox LV, Clairmont D, Cox S. Knowledge and attitudes of criminal justice professionals in relation to Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder. Can J Clin Pharmacol 2008;15(2):e306-313
32. Resolution 10-02-A: Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder in the Criminal Justice System. Accessed on: March 26, 2016, http://www.cba.org/CMSPages/GetFile.aspx?guid=aa613338-1149-44b7-b67f-c4a9b08b8e0c
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34. Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.: Juvenile justice in Australia 2010-2011: an overview. In. Canberra; 2012.
35. Education and Health Standing Committee.: Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder: the invisible disability. In. Perth; 2012.
36. House of Representatives Standing Committee on Social Policy and Legal Affairs: FASD: The Hidden Harm Inquiry into the prevention, diagnosis, and management of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders. In. Canberra: The Department of the House of Representatives 2012
37. New South Wales Law Reform Commission: Young people with cognitive and mental health impairments in the criminal justice system. In.Sydney; 2010.
38. House of Representatives Standing Committee on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs.: Doing Time - Time for Doing: Indigenous youth in the criminal justice system. In. Canberra; 2011.
39. Deloitte Access Economics.: A report for the Australian National Council on Drugs - An economic analysis for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander offenders; prison vs. residential treatment. In. Canberra; 2012.
40. Josie Farrer MLA Member for Kimberley.: Kimberley juvenile justice: improving the Current Juvenile Justice System. In., vol. 2014. Broome: Josie Farrer MLA Member for Kimberley.2014.
41. Mutch RW, Watkins R, Jones H, Bower C. Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder: knowledge, attitudes, and practice within the Western Australian justice system. In. Perth, Australia: Telethon Institute for Child Health Research; 2013.
42. Elo S, Kyngas H. The qualitative content analysis process. Journal of Advanced Nursing 2008;62(1):107-115.
43. Streubert-Speziale HJ, Carpenter DR. Qualitative research in nursing: advancing the humanistic imperative, 3rd edn. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams and Wilkins; 2003.
44. Douglas H, Hammill J, Russell EA, Wayne H. Judicial views of foetal alcohol spectrum disorder in Queensland's criminal justice system. Journal of Judicial Administration 2012;21(3):178-188.
45. Douglas H, Hammill J, Hall W, Russell EA. Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) Within the Criminal Justice Sector in Queensland. In. Canberra; 2013.
46. Western Australian Bar Association. Accessed on: March 26, 2016 http://www.wabar.asn.au/
47. Legal and Constitutional Affairs Reference Committee.: Value of a justice reinvestment approach to criminal justice in Australia. In.Canberra; 2013
2. Australian Institute of Health and Welfare: National Drug Strategy Household Survey detailed report 2013. Drug statistics series no. 28. Cat. no. PHE 183. In: Drug statistics series no 28 Cat no PHE 183. Edited by Welfare AIoHa. Canberra: AIHW; 2014. 3235.0
3. Population by age and sex, regions of Australia. Accessed on: March 26, 2016. http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/[email protected]/Latestproducts/3235.0Main%20Features352014?opendocument&tabname=Summary&prodno=3235.0&issue=2014&num=&view=
4. Colvin L, Payne J, Parsons D, Kurinczuk J, Bower C. Alcohol consumption during pregnancy in Nonidigenous West Australian women. Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research 2007;31(2):276-284.
5. Linda M O'Keeffe, Patricia M Kearney, Fergus P McCarthy, Ali S Khanshan, Richard A Greene, Robyn A North, Lucille Poston, KLesley M E McGowan, Philip N Baker, Gus A Dekker et al. Prevalence and predictors of alcohol use durign pregnancy: findings from international multicentre cohort studies. BMJ Open 2015;5(7):e006323. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2014-006323
6. Wallace C, Burns L, Gilmore S, Hutchison D. Substance use, psychological distress and violence among pregnant and breastfeeding Australian women. ANZJPH 2007;31(1):51-56.
7. Zubrick SR, Lawrence DM, Silburn SR, Blair E, Milroy H, Wilkes T, Eades S, D'Antoine H, Read AR, Ishiguchi P et al. The Western Australian Aboriginal Child Health Survey: The health of Aboriginal children and young people. In. Perth: Telethon Institue for Child Health Research; 2004.
8. Bailey B, Sokol R. Prenatal alcohol exposure and miscarriage, stillbirth, preterm delivery, and sudden infant death syndrome. Alcohol Res Health 2011;34(1):86-91.
9. Jones K. The effects of alcohol on fetal development. Birth Defects Res C Embryo Today 2011;93(1):3-11.
10. O'Connor MJ, Paley B. Psychiatric conditions associate with prenatal alcohol exposure. Dev Disabil Res Rev 2009;(15):225-234.
11. Sokol R, Delaney-Black V, Nordstrom B. Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder. Journal of the American Medical Association 2003; 290(22):2996-2999.
12. Watkins RE, Elliott EJ, Wilkins A, Mutch RC, Fitzpatrick JP, Payne JM, O'Leary CM, Jones HM, Latimer J, Hayes L et al. Recommendations from a consensus development workshop on the diagnosis of fetal alcohol spectrum disorders in Australia. BMC Pediatr 2013;13:156.
13. O’Leary C, Leonard H, Bourke J, D’Antoine H, Bartu A, Bower C. Intellectual disability: population-based estimates of the proportion attributable to maternal alcohol use disorder during pregnancy. Dev Med Child Neurol 2013;55(3):271-277.
14. Kodituwakku PW. Defining the behavioral phenotype in children with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders: a review. Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews 2007;31:192-201.
15. Kodituwakku P, Coriale G, Fiorentino D, Aragon AS, Kalberg WO, Buckley D, Gossage JP, Ceccanti M, May PA. Neurobehavioral characteristics of children with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders in communities from Italy: preliminary results. Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research 2006;30:1551-1561.
16. Riley EP, McGee CL. Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders: an overview with emphasis on changes in brain and behavior. Experimental Biology and Medicine 2005;230:357-365.
17. Streissguth AP, Barr HM, Kogan J, Bookstein FL. Understanding the occurrence of secondary disabilities in clients with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) and Fetal Alcohol Effects (FAE). Final report to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). In. Seattle: University of Washington, Fetal Alcohol & Drug Unit;1996.
18. Streissguth AP, Bookstein FL, Barr HM, Sampson PD, O'Malley K, Young JK. Risk factors for adverse life outcomes in fetal alcohol syndrome and fetal alcohol effects. Journal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics 2004; 25(4):228-238.
19. Mark Totten and The Native Women's Association of Canada. Investigating the linkages between FASD, gangs, sexual exploitation and woman abuse in the Canadian Aboriginal Population: a preliminary trial. First Peoples Child and Family Review 2010; 5(2):9-22.
20. Fast DK, Conry J. Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders and the criminal justice system. Developmental Disabilities Research Reviews 2009;15(3):250-257.
21. Streissguth A, Kanter J (eds.): The Challenge of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome: Overcoming secondary disabilities. Seattle: University of Washington Press; 1997.
22. Streissguth AP, Bookstein FL, Barr HM, Sampson PD, O'Malley K, Young JK. Risk factors for adverse life outcomes in fetal alcohol effects. Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics 2004;25(4):228-238.
23. Stratton K, Howe C, Battaglia F. Fetal alcohol syndrome: diagnosis, epidemiology, prevention, and treatment. Washington: Institute of Medicine and National Academy Press; 1996.
24. Koren G, Roifman I, Nulman I. Hypothetical framework: FASD and criminality - causation or association? The limits of evidence-based knowledge. Journal of FAS International 2004; 2:e6.
25. Popova S, Lange S, Bekmuradov D, Mihic A, Rehm J. Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder prevalence estimates in correctional systems: a systematic literature review. Can J Public Health 2011;102(5):336-340.
26. Fast DK, Conry J, Loock CA. Identifying fetal alcohol syndrome among youth in the criminal justice system. Journal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics 1999;20(5):370-372.
27. Fast DK, Conry J. The challenge of fetal alcohol syndrome in the criminal legal system. Addiction Biology 2004;9(2):161-166; discussion 167-168.
28. Fast DK, Conry J. Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders and the criminal justice system. Developmental Disabilities Research Reviews 2009;15(3):250-257.
29. Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD and Confabulation: A Basic Understanding. Accessed on: March 26, 2016, http://www.mofas.org/2013/08/fetal-alcohol-spectrum-disorder-fasd-and-confabulation-a-basic-understanding/
30. Fast DK, Conry J, Loock CA. Identifying fetal alcohol syndrome among youth in the criminal justice system. J Dev Behav Pediatr 1999; 20(5):370-372.
31. Cox LV, Clairmont D, Cox S. Knowledge and attitudes of criminal justice professionals in relation to Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder. Can J Clin Pharmacol 2008;15(2):e306-313
32. Resolution 10-02-A: Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder in the Criminal Justice System. Accessed on: March 26, 2016, http://www.cba.org/CMSPages/GetFile.aspx?guid=aa613338-1149-44b7-b67f-c4a9b08b8e0c
33. Commission on Youth Risk: Resolution to recognize FASD 112B. 201. Accessed on: March 26, 2016, http://www.americanbar.org/content/dam/aba/administrative/mental_physical_disability/Resolution_112B.authcheckdam.pdf
34. Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.: Juvenile justice in Australia 2010-2011: an overview. In. Canberra; 2012.
35. Education and Health Standing Committee.: Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder: the invisible disability. In. Perth; 2012.
36. House of Representatives Standing Committee on Social Policy and Legal Affairs: FASD: The Hidden Harm Inquiry into the prevention, diagnosis, and management of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders. In. Canberra: The Department of the House of Representatives 2012
37. New South Wales Law Reform Commission: Young people with cognitive and mental health impairments in the criminal justice system. In.Sydney; 2010.
38. House of Representatives Standing Committee on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs.: Doing Time - Time for Doing: Indigenous youth in the criminal justice system. In. Canberra; 2011.
39. Deloitte Access Economics.: A report for the Australian National Council on Drugs - An economic analysis for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander offenders; prison vs. residential treatment. In. Canberra; 2012.
40. Josie Farrer MLA Member for Kimberley.: Kimberley juvenile justice: improving the Current Juvenile Justice System. In., vol. 2014. Broome: Josie Farrer MLA Member for Kimberley.2014.
41. Mutch RW, Watkins R, Jones H, Bower C. Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder: knowledge, attitudes, and practice within the Western Australian justice system. In. Perth, Australia: Telethon Institute for Child Health Research; 2013.
42. Elo S, Kyngas H. The qualitative content analysis process. Journal of Advanced Nursing 2008;62(1):107-115.
43. Streubert-Speziale HJ, Carpenter DR. Qualitative research in nursing: advancing the humanistic imperative, 3rd edn. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams and Wilkins; 2003.
44. Douglas H, Hammill J, Russell EA, Wayne H. Judicial views of foetal alcohol spectrum disorder in Queensland's criminal justice system. Journal of Judicial Administration 2012;21(3):178-188.
45. Douglas H, Hammill J, Hall W, Russell EA. Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) Within the Criminal Justice Sector in Queensland. In. Canberra; 2013.
46. Western Australian Bar Association. Accessed on: March 26, 2016 http://www.wabar.asn.au/
47. Legal and Constitutional Affairs Reference Committee.: Value of a justice reinvestment approach to criminal justice in Australia. In.Canberra; 2013