Provide Information Clearly

The information that someone must retain throughout their journey through the criminal justice system is immense (just look at the content of our website to get a taste for it!).

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Stress can affect a person's memory by both making it difficult to first store the information and also making it difficult to retrieve information that they did store.

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For this reason, the provision of information in written form is so important. Flyers, handouts and even handwritten notes of a meeting can help when someone is trying to recall important details after the fact.

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Signposting to our website will also help your service users by giving them access to clear and accessible information when they need it.

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Easy Read

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Easy Read is a specific way of presenting information in a format that is more accessible. It uses images and simple language to make the text easier to understand.

It can be particularly helpful for people with a learning disability / difficulty. However, it is also helpful for other groups of people such as:

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• People for whom English is a second language
• People with health conditions such as dementia
• People with depression and/or anxiety
• People in high stress situations

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We currently have Easy Read versions of some of our pages and are currently seeking funding to add more Easy Read pages.

Look our for the Easy Read Symbol.

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The SOLD Network aims to prevent and reduce offending and improve support in the justice system in Scotland for people with cognitive and neurological impairment.

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They have published a number of Easy Read documents to support people as they move through the criminal justice system:

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• Your Rights When You Are In A Police Station
• Is It A Crime?
• Arrest
• Simplified Criminal Justice Pathway For Adult Offenders

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They have also produced a series of guidance documents for professionals wanting to improve the support they provide to people with communication support needs:

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• Guidance for using sold Easy Read Guides
• Visual support cards
• Sold Conference April 2022: I wish I could be back in prison! Community-based support for offenders with communication support needs
• A practice guide for defence solicitors in Scotland: Representing clients with communication support needs
• Improving support for the accused person with a learning disability - in police custody
• Improving support for people with Learning Disabilities - from arrest to court
• The criminal justice pathway for people with Learning Disabilities: Challenges and opportunities for change
• Practice guide for support staff - people with communication support needs in the Scottish criminal justice system

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They also have an online training course on supporting people's communication needs.

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