When the System Doesn’t Understand You
From police encounters to courtrooms, individuals with autism face a justice system built on misinterpretation despite growing efforts in states like New York, New Jersey, and Florida to close the gap
For many families, the fear isn’t just what happens in school, it’s what happens after. Or worse, what happens when something goes wrong. Because for individuals with autism, the justice system isn’t just difficult to navigate. It’s often built in a way that misunderstands them from the very first interaction.
And those interactions can start early. By age 21, a significant portion of young people with autism will have had some form of contact with law enforcement. Often not because of criminal behavior, but because of misunderstanding. Autism can affect communication, eye contact, response time, and behavior under stress. Traits that, in a high-pressure situation, can be misread as defiance, suspicion, or even aggression. What looks like “not following instructions” may actually be a processing delay. What appears to be “evasive behavior” may be sensory overload.
Once someone enters the system, …
