Breaking the cycle of harm: the criminal legal system’s impact on people with intellectual disabilities and the promise of community alternatives

People with intellectual disabilities who come into contact with the criminal legal system can experience violence, neglect and dehumanisation. This article, informed by a scoping literature review and supplemented by critical disability, criminology, and abolitionist scholarship, examines the structural, systemic, and individual harms experienced by people with intellectual disabilities within the criminal legal system. Rather than focusing on reform within the criminal legal system, the article advocates for investment in community-led, rights-affirming alternatives for this group. Community approaches offer more just and effective responses, aiming to remove vulnerable people from harmful systems and redirect resources toward inclusive, preventative care.