What were they thinking? A discussion paper on brain and behaviour in relation to the justice system in New Zealand.

A 2020 report by I. Lambie, Auckland, NZ: Office of the Prime Minister’s Chief Science Advisor found that:

Communication disorders.

• NZ youth-justice residents (aged 14 to 17 years) were 7 times more likely than matched controls to have hearing loss in one or both ears.

• They were twice as likely to have significant middle-ear pathology (which can be indicative of untreated ear infections and generally poor ear health).

• In language tests, 64% met criteria for language impairment, compared to only 10% of controls.