| Caught in the Web of the Criminal Justice System : Autism, Developmental Disabilities, and Sex Offenses Increasing numbers of people with autism and other developmental disabilities are being convicted of sex offences, resulting in draconian and public punishment. Yet even when evidence shows that people with these conditions often pose little threat to society, or lack a core understanding as to why their actions break the law, the "sex offender legal regime" doesn't allow any room to take the disability into account. Lawrence A. Dubin is a law professor at the University of Detroit Mercy Law, specialising in legal ethics and litigation. Dr Emily Horowitz is Professor of Sociology and Criminal Justice at St. Francis College in Brooklyn, NY. |