Debate contribution: Speech and Language Therapy: Criminal Justice System
Debate contribution by Mr Maurice Bradley on .
- MLA
- Mr Maurice Bradley
- Party at the time
- Democratic Unionist Party
- Date
- 20 February 2024
- Type
- Debate contribution
- Business
- Private Members' Business
- Heading
- Speech and Language Therapy: Criminal Justice System
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 4381126
Read the official Assembly record
Text
I thank the Members who tabled the motion. Screening and assessing young people to determine their speech, language and communication needs is vital in order to assist inmates who have a high prevalence of language and communication disorders and could end up being more vulnerable in the prison system. Speech therapists are important members of the legal workforce, and, through the prevention, early detection, assessment and treatment of communication disorders, they improve the health, well-being and participation of people who are, or are at risk of being, in contact with the judicial system. It is vital to support young people to develop their own strategies to facilitate communication, to aid working with others and to make treatment, education and information more accessible. Training in the workforce could help identify who might need support with speech, language and communication and understand how it might have an impact on them. Difficulty in language development has been associated with a higher risk of someone getting involved in criminal activities. A high percentage of young people who have committed infractions have some kind of language or communication difficulty. In general, the prison population is growing along with its health and communication needs. The impact of any communication disorder that affects an individual's ability to understand, detect or apply language and speech effectively can lead to a variety of conflicts. We would support a training needs analysis or audit among not just prison staff but the wider justice workforce in Northern Ireland. Prison officers and staff are often unaware how best to engage and support a person with complex needs. That needs to change. We recognise that that support calls for earlier interventions and speech, language and communication needs (SLCN) screening, particularly in youth justice settings. It is important to note, however, that gaps in identification remain across all age groups. We also need to challenge any perception that addressing the challenges is solely in the gift of health professionals. It also involves those in education and justice. Speech and language therapists will have a role to play. The Member opposite spoke about the value of having trained speech and language therapists, about the high number of applicants for training and about the small number of available university places. Greater use of university places would be an advantage, and I agree that Ulster University would be ideally placed for that, not just at Magee but in Coleraine and Belfast. We need to build capacity among all stakeholders who interact with young people and adults with SLCN. We need to support those people on their journey through the judicial system. Any sense of a silo mentality must be removed. Is there merit in evaluating the potential for national accreditation in some areas? It is vital that we support a whole-system approach to tackling SLCN. In many ways, the motion addresses the symptom rather than the cause. We need to ensure that fewer of our young people enter the criminal justice system with unmet communication and language needs. That will include tackling many socio-economic drivers, such as deprivation, poverty, educational underachievement and adverse childhood experiences. I support the motion.
522 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.
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