Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD): A Need for Closer Examination by the Criminal Justice System

Abstract

Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) is a clinically recognized disability. Persons with FASD are at a profound disadvantage within the criminal justice system. This article describes the range of deficits that characterize FASD and suggests that understanding FASD has important legal implications for the criminal justice system. Consideration is given to issues of suggestibility, witness reliability, false confessions and sentencing.