Our Blog

Incarceration is challenging for most individuals, but it poses unique and often severe hardships for those with mental health conditions such as Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). For inmates with sex offense convictions, the prison environment is particularly hostile, marked by frequent bullying, social isolation, and even physical violence. When an individual has both ASD and a sex offense conviction, the combination can be profoundly damaging—amounting to a near-constant psychological assault on someone who may struggle to fully comprehend their offense or the intense hostility they face behind bars.

A tenant of our criminal justice system is rooted in the concept of swift and certain punishment, which refers to the principle that the consequences for criminal behavior should be imposed quickly and predictably following a violation. Neither of these hold up well in federal cases that often take over a year to reach a jury, or plea, and terms of incarceration are subject to the interpretation of rules that can keep people in prison longer than the inmate realized.