{"id":1163890,"date":"2026-08-23T00:06:20","date_gmt":"2026-08-23T00:06:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/1163890\/"},"modified":"2026-08-23T00:06:20","modified_gmt":"2026-08-23T00:06:20","slug":"wirral-company-campaigns-for-more-support-for-neurodiverse-offenders-to-cut-crime-rates-birkenhead-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/1163890\/","title":{"rendered":"Wirral company campaigns for more support for neurodiverse offenders to cut crime rates \u2013 Birkenhead News"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Roger Broadbent, co-founder of Birkenhead-based neurodiversity welfare business Empowerment Passport, predicts that the UK government could reduce crime levels by 10% and save the economy approximately \u00a317 billion per year by introducing simple support measures for neurodiverse offenders.<\/strong><\/p>\n

According to the government\u2019s own report by the\u00a0Criminal Justice Joint Inspection (CJJI)<\/a>, approximately 50% of the prison population is made up of neurodiverse individuals, though Broadbent believes the figure is likely to be higher, as many won\u2019t have had a formal diagnosis.<\/p>\n

Furthermore,\u00a0a report by The Michael Sieff Foundation<\/a>\u00a0found that 80% of the children in the criminal justice system are neurodivergent or categorised as SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities).<\/p>\n

Roger Broadbent, co-founder of\u00a0Empowerment Passport\u00a0and MD of\u00a0Dyslexia Institute UK, explained,<\/strong> \u201cNeurodiverse teenagers from low-income backgrounds are a magnet for criminal networks. They are more likely to have lower self-confidence, which makes them easier to groom and coerce into criminal activity. Once they become part of a criminal system, they\u2019re more likely to stay within it unless they are given support to steer them away from it.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur prison system is full of young neurodiverse people and, on average, 70% of them will continue to reoffend until they reach maturity. It makes good financial sense to deal with the issue head-on and introduce robust policies and a pathway that will guide them away from criminal activity once released.\u201d<\/p>\n

Roger Broadbent is to appear at the globally significant Neurodiversity Summit on the 19-20 September at Stanford University to advise leaders on how systemic change in the prison system can reduce crime rates.<\/p>\n

He argues that the key to reducing crime is to use a cost-effective way of screening all prisoners for a wide range of characteristics, and to set policy which mandates a pathway to steer neurodiverse offenders away from reoffending.<\/p>\n

The pathway he recommends involves skill development support specific to the offender\u2019s needs while in prison. It should ensure that all neurodiverse people leave prison with basic IT literacy skills, a bank account, an email account, and a tailored plan for education or to help them secure employment appropriate to their individual strengths and weaknesses.<\/p>\n

He also advocates that a bespoke education service should be made available to prisoners with dyslexia and dyscalculia to ensure that they leave prison with basic maths and English skills.<\/p>\n

Broadbent continued,<\/strong> \u201cThe benefits of supporting neurodiverse prisoners are huge. Not only will we reduce crime and policing costs, but we\u2019ll reduce the availability of drugs on the street, which has obvious benefits to the health service. There\u2019s also massive economic potential if some of the strengths associated with neurodiversity \u2013 like problem-solving and hyper-focus \u2013 can be capitalised on for something positive rather than criminality.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe can either ignore the statistics, or we can tackle the problem head-on and invest in steering people away from reoffending. The cost of introducing new policies and practices into the prison system is a drop in the ocean when you compare it to how much money could be saved on things like prison spend, policing, insurance, security measures, drug addiction and victim support, which costs the UK economy around \u00a3250bn a year.\u201d<\/p>\n

Roger Broadbent is a co-founder of Empowerment Passport<\/a>, a digital platform designed to help individuals with long-term health conditions or disabilities to clearly communicate their adjustment needs to others. This allows the right support to be put in place across various settings, including education, employment and prison.<\/p>\n

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