Caregivers’ experiences of predisposing vulnerabilities to, and within, Justice system encounters of their children with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder

Systematic review evidence highlights that individuals with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Dis-order (FASD) are nineteen times more likely to be incarcerated than individuals without FASD. From the perspectives of caregivers of individuals with FASD, this study explores the factors that predispose individuals with FASD to and vulnerabilities within criminal justice encounters. Fifteen semi-structured interviews were conducted with 14 caregivers of individuals with FASD. One caregiver was interviewed twice, and interviews were a combination of telephone, Microsoft Teams, and face-to-face interviews. NVivo software was employed to collate, organise, and visualise data, while thematic analysis was used to analyse data. Themes generated from the data include “they quickly go downhill into the justice system.”, “but, they are amazing children too!”, “bearing the brunt for society's ignorance”, and “Needing FASD aware systems”. All the participants in this study present-ed wide-ranging vulnerabilities that predispose their children to encounters with the CJS. Because individuals with FASD are more likely to be overrepresented in the CJS, it is important for CJS professionals to be FASD-informed as FASD could lead to significant vulnerabilities and miscarriage of justice.