The High Cost of Undiagnosed ADHD with Sarah Templeton

Dec 8, 2025

In this episode, Sarah Templeton, a counselor and advocate previously working in the UK prison system, shares her journey of self-discovery after being diagnosed with ADHD at 51. She discusses the alarming rates of undiagnosed ADHD among incarcerated populations and its role in recidivism. Sarah highlights how impulsivity and a heightened sense of justice can lead to legal troubles. She also emphasizes the need for early neurodiversity screening in schools and justice systems to break the cycle and improve outcomes for at-risk individuals.

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INSIGHT

ADHD Is Common In Prisons

Sarah Templeton realized many prisoners share ADHD traits after her own diagnosis at 51 and had “300 light bulb moments.”
That recognition reframed her work and motivated books and activism to “empty the prisons of ADHD.”

INSIGHT

Traits That Lead To Crime

Impulsivity, risk-taking, low boredom threshold and a heightened sense of justice drive much criminal behavior among ADHD people.
These traits often explain offenses better than malice or poor character judgments.

ANECDOTE

Young Prisoner Who Couldn't Stop Stealing

A 21-year-old prisoner told Sarah he liked himself in therapy but couldn’t stop stealing purses when he saw them.
Understanding compulsivity and ADHD later helped explain his behavior and reduce self-blame.

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Hey team,

Today, we've got a heavy but necessary topic. We're looking at what happens when ADHD goes unsupported and the stakes get high. In this episode, I'm joined by Sarah Templeton, a counselor, activist, and author of The Prison Counselor. Sarah spent years working inside the UK prison system before getting her own diagnosis at age 51, which led to some massive realizations about the people she was working with.

In our conversation today, we look at the startling prevalence of neurodiversity in the prison population and how a lack of diagnosis fuels a cycle of reoffending. We explore the stark reality of the "school to prison pipeline" and the specific ADHD traits that land people in legal trouble. It's not just about being a trouble-maker, but about impulsivity, risk-taking, and a heightened sense of justice. And I know that last one might sound counterintuitive, but don't worry, we get into that in the episode.

This is an incredibly important episode to me because I believe that it's one of my jobs to use my privilege as someone with an audience to highlight the struggles in our community from some of our most underserved populations. And our ADHD siblings in prison are definitely a prime example of people who had the system fail them and are now paying the price.

Before we get started, I also just wanted to mention that there is some talk of suicide in this episode, so if that is something you are sensitive about, I just wanted to let you know.

If you'd like to follow along on the show notes page, you can find that at HackingYourADHD.com/260

YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/y835cnrk

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/HackingYourADHD

This Episode's Top Tips

1. While we often associate trouble with malice, many people with ADHD end up in legal or social trouble purely because they reacted impulsively to perceived unfairness. Recognizing this trait as a heightened sense of justice can help you pause before intervening in situations that might escalate.
2. Severe boredom can physically feel like pain for the ADHD brain, leading to high-risk behaviors just to feel something. Acknowledging that boredom is a trigger state can help you find safer dopamine outlets before you do something regrettable.
3. When trying to tame an addiction, traditional reduction techniques often fail for ADHD brains because of our "all or nothing" dopamine response. If you are struggling with substance use, ensure your support team understands ADHD, as "just one drink" can trigger a massive dopamine cascade that neurotypical advice doesn't account for.
4. Work on reframing the idea of an excuse vs a reason. If we can understand that our brain wiring causes certain behaviors (like risk-taking), this isn't an excuse to keep doing them; it's the explanation that gives us permission to stop hating ourselves and seek out tools and strategies that can help manage behaviors.