Today we’re in the Houses of Parliament.

We’re holding a campaign launch
for A Personal Sentence.

The audience for today really is
policymakers,

it’s politicians,

it’s patient advocacy groups
and also NHS clinicians as well.

Lawmakers and law-changers

really should be at the frontline of all of this
and doing something about it.

I’m aiming for a criminal justice system

that recognises that neurodiversity
and gives, particularly women,

the genuine chance to both survive and thrive.

Takeda initiated this campaign
because there were so many

missed and misdiagnoses within ADHD

and never is it more concentrated
than within the prison system.

We wanted to prove the concept

for making the difference in this area

before then we scale it to a wider population.

Medication continuity
is one of the most serious failures.

People stabilised in custody
are released into a system

that cannot, or will not,
continue treatment.

I think there needs to be

a lot more support

for people who show signs
of ADHD in prison,

Some reasonable adjustments for
people who are already diagnosed,

support upon release.

A lot more education, knowledge, in regards to the
booking-in process into custody

whether that’s into prison
custody or police custody.

More awareness so women can then recognise:

“Actually, I relate to this”

and then they can get help,

so even in the school systems
when they’re younger as well.

I just want to raise awareness and

sort of challenge
people’s stigma of what ADHD is.

I think a lot of the time it’s branded
as that sort of ‘naughty schoolboy’.

But for women, it’s so different.

We chose to focus on women specifically

because women are
disproportionately impacted

within the criminal justice system
when they experience ADHD.

It’s not unusual for at least
a third of women

in the prison population
to actually have ADHD.

I just wanted to raise awareness
of my experience

in the criminal justice system
as both an offender and a victim.

My hope is, after today,

that lived experience is even more recognised,
understood and appreciated

so that females coming out of custody
have the opportunities, as I have

and, a sense of purpose moving forwards
with their life as it has for me.