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The risk of having a head injury is higher in young males and in those who have a background of social deprivation and alcohol abuse. These factors are also predominant in offenders and it is easy to envisage that many of the neurobehavioural impairments that are associated with head injury can lead to antisocial behaviour which, in turn, could lead to involvement with the Criminal Justice System. Studies on the prevalence of head injury, its severity, neurobehavioural effects and relationships with offending and reoffending are largely based on self-report. A little evidence to suggest that there has been much awareness of the prevalence of brain injury in offenders within the Criminal Justice System or of the potential link between brain injury and neurobehavioural disorders in prisoners. Overall, there remains a limited consideration of persistent neurobehavioural abnormalities in offenders, including in studies that report a high prevalence of head injury, and in studies focusing more widely on violent behaviour.
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