The New "D" Word
Photo by Woliul Hasan on Unsplash
Crazy as this is to say, lately I’ve almost been missing my Life On The Inside days.
Life on the outside’s been rough, with roadblocks I never imagined cropping up and making me cry with frustration at the injustices that befall those with autism who are caught up in the criminal justice system.
The whole thing’s a nightmare, folks. If you learn nothing from my experience, learn this:
If your loved one with autism is arrested, immediately request diversion.
Diversion refers to strategies that steer individuals away from the traditional court system and its formal processes like arrest, prosecution, and incarceration. Instead of formal charges and potential conviction, diversion programs offer alternatives such as community service, counseling, or treatment.
In addition, and perhaps most important, diversion allows individuals to avoid the full weight of the criminal justice system, potentially preventing a criminal record.
The record, the felony conviction. You’ve got to avoid it. Why? Because no one will rent to a felon – especially the property management companies who handle the apartments at communities created for those with autism.
Those wonderful places we looked at for Mr. Lucky? They’re off the table.
Look, I don’t blame the property management companies. They have to protect a vulnerable population. But dammit, my kid made a stupid mistake (the mistake being that he hung out with the wrong crowd), and now his life is so much harder than it was before, his future inordinately more difficult to plan for than it was before. Sometimes I can barely believe that this is what we’re dealing with. My brain hurts. I cry. I’m a bitch to live with. (Pray for Rob.)
In the Life On The Inside days, I/we were blissfully unaware that this was going to happen. And I certainly didn’t know to request diversion.
But now you do. So don’t forget. Tell everybody.
In an effort to stop myself from stress eating these days and scarfing down the entire snack food aisle at Publix, I’ve begun rereading my work on resilience. I even created a little e-book of resilience builders you can check out. I keep it open on my laptop. When I really want potato chips, I read another paragraph. Ok, sometimes while I’m chewing… but still. Baby steps, right?
@TheEndGame, thank you for your purchase!!!