Criminal Justice

Disabled People More Likely to Be Victims of Crime

Published October 05, 2009 @ 04:45PM PT

A new study shows that people with physical, mental or emotional disabilities are at least 1.5 times more likely to be the victims of crime in the U.S.

Drawing data from 2007 crimes, the study found disabled women to be particularly vulnerable, and one in five disabled crime victims responding to a survey said they believed their disability was the motivation for the crime. Other research has shown that disabled children can be twice as likely to be the victims of sexual abuse than non-disabled kids. Another study a few years ago found that one in four people with severe mental illness is the victim of a crime each year.

These studies underscore the need for victims' services to be particularly attuned to the needs and challenges of people with disabilities, and for law enforcement agencies to be aware that disabled individuals may not always report crimes.

When law enforcement agencies and victims' service providers make an extra effort to reach out to disabled individuals, they increase the chances to stopping ongoing abuse and protecting the safety of some of our most vulnerable citizens.

Photo by Brad & Sabrina

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Comments (6)

  1. Rachel Russell

    So Sad. As a Disabled American Unable to work, I know were it not for my parents, I would be homeless or dead by now. My husband separated from me leaving me nothing, and Now I am waiting for Social Security SSI/Medicaid Approval AGAIN, and hope it does not take 2yrs this time... You are more than welcome to sign my petition if you like. Reform Social Security Disability SSDI and SSI Determination Processes -  http://tinyurl.change.org/zXUto

    It is very clear we need more funding and government services to advocate and provide for America's Forgotten very urgently.

    Posted by Rachel Russell on 10/05/2009 @ 05:52PM PT

  2. Michelle Quann

    The elderly are particularly vulnerable, as well, in congruence with the disabled. There is a current headline of a Ohio man who is currently set to be excecuted for beating and strangling his 67 year old neighbor to death while buglarizing her home. The elderly are often prone to subject to crimes of identity theft, sexual assault, neglect, abuse, and other forms of theft by deception. These too are some of our most vulnerable citizens.

    Posted by Michelle Quann on 10/05/2009 @ 06:17PM PT

  3. Rachel Russell

    You are right Michelle. My grandma suffers Alziemers, and it is very tough. She forgets things constantly and misplaces things all the time. There are predators everywhere, looking to defraud us disabled unable to drive/work and the elderly as well.

    Posted by Rachel Russell on 10/05/2009 @ 06:52PM PT

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  4. Reply to thread
  5. Another excellent blog about victim's rights. Thanks Matt. Michelle and Rachel bring up excellent points however. The links provided by the blog direct us to information on violent crimes against the disabled. Great information, but what about criminals who prey on the elderly or disabled by committing fraud or theft? These crimes are non-viloent in nature, but are a huge problem among the disadvantaged. Matt, would these particular offenders fall into your crusade to release large quantities of non-violent criminals? I hope not. Yet another reason to question early inmate release.

    Posted by Dennis G. on 10/05/2009 @ 08:58PM PT

  6. Andrew Heugel

    Michelle brings up a good point regarding the elderly disabled often being the victims of crimes. We should also remember that the world is divided into two classes; the disabled and temporarily able. We will all eventually become disabled, if we live long enough.

    We should also remember that people with disabilities are often the victims of the criminal "justice" system. There was a law passed approximately five years ago that made it illegal to execute a person with a developmental disability. But, how many people are on the many death rows or incarcerated who have undiagnosed developmental or significant psychiatric disabilities?

    My experience with the criminal "justice" system has shown me that it is biased in favor of those who have money, friends or family members in high places, and/or who are educated and have good writing skills. There are many wrongly convicted people who continue to rot in America's numerous gulags because they don't have the financial, social or intellectual wherewithal to extricate themselves from these situations.

    Posted by Andrew Heugel on 10/10/2009 @ 08:57AM PT

  7. Fred Lamb

     I am a disabled United States of America citizen. I have suffered at
    the hands of the legal (not justice) system.  This is short and not so
    sweet, if you need more information contact me.

    Discrimination- Age, Disability and Retaliation against AT&T Broadband.
    I can prove with court records that federal magistrate Craig B.
    Shaffer(Denver,Co.) conspired with Ron Gregson ( Gregson &
    Pixler--Denver, Colorado), Sherman and Howard Law Firm (for
    AT&T)(Denver Colorado) and AT&T to commit fraud in the federal
    court,and did commit fraud in the federal court,
     This scum bucket magistrate judge threatened me in a back room to
    accept a $5000 settlement or he would dismiss the case and force me to
    pay the AT&T lawyers fees of $35 to 40,000.  When I told the
    magistrate in open court that I had documentation which proved, ¨my¨
    lawyer, was working for my opponent and that he had lied to the court,
    I was ignored. This judger also ordered me not to
    pursue a workers compensation claim which would have proved AT&T managers
    committed fraud in a workers comp claim, as well as in the EEOC ( Equal Employment Opportunity Commission)
    investigation. .
     A doctor (psychiatrist) Gary Gutterman, Denver/Cherry
    Creek, Colorado(AT&T hired) also committed fraud, documents prove
    this.
     The AT&T(now - Comcast) managers are Tom Cotton,(Craig/Steamboat
    Springs, Colorado), (he provided the EEOC with leave application
    papers on which my name was forged( I have a certified handwriting
    experts report)
     and Ron Forcum(Steamboat Springs,
    Colorado).
     I can prove with documentation (court records)that the lawyer I hired was
    working for my opponent against me and that he committed obstruction of
    justice, fraud and several other felonies against me and the people of
    the united states. I told Judge Craig Shaffer in open court that Mr.
    Gregson had lied to the court but the judge ignored me.  It´s in the
    court record. My lawyer also had a letter hand delivered to the judge
    the day before we appeared before the judge in which he lied to
    destroy my case.
       I´ve tried to talk to other lawyers, unsuccessfully.
    I´ve tried the Colorado lawyers disciplinary board, they gave me a
    case number and took the report and never investigated.
    I´ve tried federal prosecutors, they will not allow me to have an
    appointment or review my evidence.
    I´ve tried to file a lawsuit against my lawyer myself in the Colorado
    state court siting fraud as one of the charges.  Colorado State law
    states that a judge cannot make a decision in a fraud case, only a
    jury can. But a Colorado judge dismissed the case with prejudice, in
    violation of that law.
    Therefore the government of the United States of America is in violation of my Human Rights according to:
     
    Human rights refer to the "basic rights and freedoms to which all humans are entitled."[1] Examples of rights and freedoms which have come to be commonly thought of as human rights include civil and political rights, such as the right to life and liberty, freedom of expression, and equality before the law; and economic, social and cultural rights, including the right to participate in culture, the right to food, the right to work, and the right to education.

    “ All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood. ”
    —Article 1 of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR)[2
     
     
    I want to file this as a human rights complaint, against the United States of America for refusing to grant me "equality before the law", Judges, lawyers and giant corporations are immune to prosecution for committing crimes. Only the poor are subject to the law, mostly because they don´t play golf with the lawyers and judges, in order to make legal proof connections.
    Please consider this to be a complaint, if other forms need to be submitted to make it official please forward them to me.  Thanking you in advance for your kind cooperation I remain,  Respectfully yours, Fred James Lamb.

    Posted by Fred Lamb on 10/10/2009 @ 11:05AM PT

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Matt Kelley

Matt has worked and volunteered in various capacities in criminal justice reform for several years. When he's not blogging, he works as the Online Communications Manager at the Innocence Project. Views expressed here are Matt's, and don't represent the positions of the Innocence Project.

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