“I mainly work with people who have milder
intellectual disabilities
but whose challenging behaviour brings them into contact with
police and the courts.”
Frances Roberts applies Psychology within
a legal and criminal justice context as well as within the
wider community. She finds ways to reduce the occurrence and
impact of severe challenging / offending behaviour of some
people who have intellectual disability. These people are
disadvantaged and very vulnerable within the Criminal Justice
System.
“On the World Wide Day in Science, the highlight
of my workday was meeting with the intern I am currently supervising
and witnessing her growing enthusiasm for work with this client
group. It isinspiring to be involved with
such young people, to see their dedication to making a positive
difference to the world, and to see a broadening of their
perspective and potential as they comprehend the constraints
that are handicapping others in the community. I love being
part of this education.”
“In High School, I
studied Physics and 3 Unit Chemistry. My Father always wanted
his only daughter to pursue science. So I enrolled in Medicine,
but in my first week, I followed my own preference and changed
to Languages! I completed a Bachelor of Psychology, then a
Diploma in Education and taught Language. Later, I completed
a Masters in Special Education. My teaching focus gradually
shifted from teaching foreign language to the privileged,
to teaching concepts to those whose comprehension is limited
by intellectual disability and social disadvantage.”
“In my work, I DEFINITELY incorporate
the Science Skills I acquired in earlier studies.”
(-and she does not wear a lab coat!)
“For instance, the scientific methodology
is systematic. In the discipline of Psychology it provides
a basis for the development, implementation and evaluation
of treatment interventions. You cannot make wild claims -you
have to test your theories. Science has enhanced my critical
thinking skills and my research
skills so that I automatically employ a scientific
framework that fosters critical analysis and an evidence-based
approach.
Specific scientific information, such as Pharmacology,
is employed confidently because of a science background and
adds another dimension to the practice of Psychology. This
is particularly important where clients are receiving powerful
medications for their psychiatric or neurological problems.
However, goodcommunication skillsmust not be overlooked. These are sometimes undervalued
within Science. You can make groundbreaking findings, but
they will be useless if you cannot make others listen and
understand.”
“Psychology is fascinating, challenging
and exciting.”
Frances is an employee of the Department
of Aging, Disability and Home Care. Frances and
her team act as important consultants to the police, legal
representatives and senior Departmental staff. She helps organise
assessments and Court Reports to divert these people to services
more suited to their level of function and support needs.
She and her team play a valuable part in improving the welfare
of people with an intellectual disability by contributing
to university research and providing input to the development
of social
policies.
The mental health of the accused can be controversial. There
is often intense community concern over the issue of responsibility
for a crime where mental illness and / substance abuse is
involved. Frances explains; “The reality is that, where these
factors are involved, a gaol term alone does nothing to change
the likelihood of re-offence, especially if the offender has
an intellectual disability and is denied access to treatment
groups because of this.”
The provision of specialist case co-ordination, professional
advice and behaviour intervention programs by Frances and
her team plays a vital role in helping offenders with intellectual
disability to access supports to reduce their offending behaviour.
Experts like Frances and her team strive to make community
programs effective in combating recidivism (i.e., recurring
crime) by providing offenders with behaviour and social skills.
Her work helps prevent people getting involved in crime in
the first place by assessing risks and developing intervention
programs before the challenging behaviour leads to police
charges. As such, her work also helps alleviate the staggering
COSTS of crime to Australia.
In 2003-04:
The total expenditure on criminal justice was nearly $7.2
BILLION!
Total criminal court expendi ture (less income) was $443
MILLION!
Overall $59, 203 was spent for every prisoner!
While $3,796 was spent for each offender
sentenced to community corrections programs.
NOTE: Statistics about offenders or victims
with an intellectual disability are not kept by the police,
courts, prisons or the New South Wales Bureau of Crime Statistics
and Research often because they believe it is discriminating.
However, a study
suggested that people with an intellectual disability
comprise at least 12-13% of the New South
Wales prison population despite it being
estimated that only approximately 2-3% of
the New South Wales population has an intellectual disability
