Abstract

People who have speech, language and communicationneeds (SLCN) are more prevalent in criminal justice set-tings than in the wider population. Previous researchfocusing primarily on young people and the prisonpopulation has led to calls for early interventions andscreening, particularly in youth justice settings. NHSLiaison and Diversion (L&D) referrals in a single policeforce region in England were screened for SLCN over aperiod of three months. The results indicate a need forearly identification of SLCN for all age groups, and forthose with no previous SLCN-related diagnoses.