Adult Justice Process
The justice process can be a complex and difficult system to navigate. To assist in providing clarification, ODP developed the Justice Process and Intervention Opportunity Map.
This ODP LMS course will use the ODP Justice Process Intervention Opportunity Map to provide a hands-on way of learning about the justice system as well as the steps where supporters can intervene and advocate, through visuals, examples and questions.
At the end of each course, you will receive a Certificate of Completion.
This link will take you to ASERT’s website, which includes resources for individuals with autism and supporters to aid in understanding the adult justice system and identifying places to engage, advocate and/or intervene. Included in this link is a PREZI, which is a digital version of the map and is designed to be a self navigation tool for the user.
PDFs of the Map and other steps in the process, can be found at the bottom of the page.
The goal of Under Arrest is to educate the general public about the criminal justice system in Pennsylvania. It is a step-by-step review of the process, from the arrest, through the preliminary arraignment, preliminary hearing, arraignment, trial, sentencing, and possible incarceration.
The second of a two-part series, Convicted completes the overview presented by Under Arrest—Understanding the criminal justice system in Pennsylvania. Convicted offers a detailed overview of the pre-sentence investigation, including the bail process and the role of probation.
Autistic people are more likely to be victims and witnesses of crime than offenders. These resources offers guidance on how to make the Criminal Justice System experience better for autistic people and their families.
There are guides for parents and carers, autistic adults and police officers & professionals.
A resource to help locate a Adult Mental Health Treatment Court in your area.
Juvenile Justice Process
The juvenile justice process can be confusing for anyone caught in the middle of it. This is especially true when the child involved has disabilities. The goal of this guide is to provide parents with some important tools to help navigate through the process and to make sure their child receives the services to which they are entitled. This guide provides legal information about the juvenile justice system in Pennsylvania, but is not a replacement for legal advice.
These social stories were created by ASERT to describe the various aspects and rules of juvenile probation.
The goal of this training manual is to acquaint the needs of the autism community and the needs of the juvenile justice community.
The Juvenile Court Judge’s Commission/ Center for Juvenile Justice Training and Research webpage offers free training courses for the public.
This guide provides general information about the juvenile justice system in Pennsylvania. Certain juvenile justice policies may be slightly different from county to county. However, under the law, all children have important rights that should be protected in every courtroom and in every county.
A resource to help locate a Juvenile Mental Health Treatment Court in your area.
This presentation will provide information about the juvenile justice system in general and the rights of children with disabilities within that system. Parents will learn how to respond when police officers ask to interview their children and what to expect if their children are charged with a crime.
Juvenile and Adult Justice Process and Information
The resources, trainings and tools within this collection, are designed to explain different steps within the justice system or different justice related experiences that may occur. They are designed to be a one stop shop for individuals, supporters, families as well as justice system professionals.
Resources include:
– Guides and resources for individuals, supporters, families to help understand the justice process and what to expect from different stages within the process.
– Tools to help mitigate justice risks for individuals with autism
– Different programs and services that autistic individuals can utilize when navigating the justice system
– Videos to show individuals with autism what different situations with law enforcement, first responders and justice professionals, might look like
– Opportunities to request justice- related autism training for your organization.
This resource from ASERT provides an overview on co-responder programs within the justice system.
Problem Solving Courts focus on specific types of behaviors or conditions, often linked to crime and social problems. The Problem Solving Courts in PA include Veterans Courts, Drug Courts, DUI Courts, Juvenile Drug Courts and Mental Health Courts. This page walks through what each of these courts can do and how to locate them.
This educational article describes what the Mental Health Court is and advantages of exploring this option.