Staff Report
SAN MARCOS — The Office of Hays County Criminal District Attorney Kelly Higgins announced the successful hosting of a multi-agency “Autism in Criminal Justice Settings” training.
The training, held March 27, centered on increasing understanding of autism spectrum conditions throughout the criminal justice system, stated a Hays County news release. Attendees included representatives from the Hays County Criminal District Attorney’s Office, Hays County Sheriff’s Office, Buda Police Department, Kyle Police Department and Hays County Juvenile Probation Department.
Anne Jackson, Bell County assistant county attorney, led the training and spoke about how raising a child on the autism spectrum raised her awareness of neurodiversity issues relevant to her work as a prosecutor. Her experiences allowed her to make more informed decisions in cases where victims, witnesses and defendants on the autism spectrum were frequently misunderstood by first responders, lawyers, probation officers and the courts.
“It is incumbent upon lawyers in the system, whether we be defense, prosecutors or judges, to know what to do when we hear or read the word ‘autism’ in our work. We are the gatekeepers — the people with the power to affect people’s liberty and lives,” said Jackson.
Participants also heard from Jackson’s son, Tres, who talked openly about his life on the autism spectrum and coordinated directly with participants on strategies for engaging with those on the autism spectrum at various criminal justice touchpoints.
“Autism doesn’t care about your skin color, religion or sexuality. We try to be like everyone else, but there are going to be days when we struggle,” Tres said. “When we call for help, I want us to be seen as someone in need ... and not any of these other things.”
“We are proud to be the first prosecutor’s office in the state to host this training for our criminal justice partners,” stated Landon Campbell, division chief in the Hays County Criminal District Attorney’s Office. “We hope to use this training as a springboard to increase awareness of mental health and intellectual disability issues in our local criminal justice system and beyond.”
