Breaking down the barriers: Evaluating practitioners’ training and practice with neurodivergent people in police custody

Purpose – Neurodivergent (ND) people are reportedly overrepresented in the Criminal Justice System, but police often lack resources such as relevant knowledge and training to work with them. Furthermore, little is known about police custody practitioners' views of factors which impact their working practice with ND detained persons. Design/methodology/approach – Police custody practitioners attended a one-day neurodiversity training session and provided self-report ratings and free-text responses immediately before and after (n = 99) and again six months later (n = 19). Quantitative and qualitative analysis assessed the impact of training and practitioner perceptions of custody-related demands with ND detained persons. Findings – Over half of practitioners had no prior personal experience of neurodiversity, yet the majority encountered ND suspects on a daily or weekly basis. Self-reported neurodiversity knowledge and confidence working with ND detainees increased significantly post-training. A significant positive relationship was found between neurodiversity knowledge and confidence working with ND detainees. Thematic analysis of qualitative survey responses produced three overarching themes: (1) ND detainees have diverse needs; (2) Recognising and responding to ND detainees' needs is challenging; (3) Internal and external resources are required to work with ND detainees. Originality/value – This study emphasises the importance of practitioners' internal (e.g. knowledge, skills, confidence) and external (e.g. training, environmental, systemic) resources for the demands of working with ND individuals in police custody.