1. Crime Victimization and
Disabilities
Dan L. Petersen, Ph.D
Joint Center on Violence and Victim Studies
Washburn University

2. “The basis of people’s lives with one another
is twofold, and it is one– the wish of each
person to be confirmed as what each person
is, even as what that person can become;
and the innate capacity in each person to
confirm others in this way…..
…… actual humanity exists only where this
capacity unfolds.”
Martin Buber

3. Communication and Respect
Person first language
Be Respectful
If a person uses a chair, get permission before
touching it
If the person uses a working dog, ask permission
before interacting with the dog
Ask if a person would like your help
Address the person and not their care attendant or
translator

4. Disabilities – background
information
It is estimated that 54 million
Americans have some form of
disability.
Approximately 1 in 5 have some kind
of disability that interferes with
functioning
With 1 in 10 having a severe disability

5. For each disability group or type,
different dynamics of abuse and crime
come into play.

6. Bureau of Justice Statistics:
National Crime Victimization Survey
First National study on crime victims
with disabilities – October, 2009
Primary Finding:
Age-adjusted rate of nonfatal violent crime
was 1.5 times higher that rate for persons
without disabilities

7. BJS - NCVS
Females with a disability had higher
victimization rates (opposite of crime rate for
people without a disability)
Nearly 1 in 5 violent crime victims with a
disability believed they became a victim
because of their disability
Violent crime victims, with or without a
disability were equally likely to face an armed
offender

8. Statistics
People with developmental disabilities
are four to ten times more likely to be
victims of crimes than are people
without disabilities.
Wilons and Brewer, 1992
Violence and abuse issues were rated
the number one priority by women with
disabilities.
Berkely Planning Association, 1996

9. People with developmental disabilities are not
only more likely to be sexually victimized,
they are more likely to be repeatedly
victimized.
Sobsey, 1994
Children with disabilities were 2.1 times as
likely to endure criminal physical abuse and
1.8 times more likely to experience sexual
abuse than children without disabilities.
Crosse, Kaye, and Ratnofsky, 1993

10. 54% of boys who have a severe
hearing impairment and 50% of girls
who have a severe hearing impairment
have been sexually abused.
Stimpson and Best, 1991
10% of consumers of attendant care
services have been abused; 40% have
been victims of theft.
Ulnicy, 1990

11. In one study, thirteen (13%) of women
with physical disabilities described
experiencing physical abuse in the
past year.
Colorado Task Group, 1994

12. In one study, researchers reported a
history of sexual abuse among 25% of
adolescent girls with mental retardation
surveyed.
Nosek, et al., 1995

13. Women with disabilities were more likely than
women without disabilities to experience
abuse by health care providers.
Women with disabilities were abused by a
greater number of perpetrators than women
without disabilities.
Women with physical disabilities were more
likely to experience more intense patterns of
abuse over their lifetimes than women
without disabilities.
Nosek, et al., 1995

14. Women with disabilities reported
significantly longer durations of
physical abuse or sexual abuse
compared to women without
disabilities (3.9 yrs. versus 2.5 yrs.)
Nosek, Rintala, Young, Howland, Foley, Rossi, &
Chanpong, 1995
Responding to Rural Crime Victimization

15. In spite of high percentages, few
women with disabilities receive
treatment from victim services
specialists.
Andrews & Veronen, 1993
Responding to Rural Crime Victimization

16. Domestic Violence
One survey of 598 battered women’s
programs showed:
Programs were least likely to serve women with
visual or hearing impairments. The most common
disability was mental illness.
For nearly half the programs, less that 1% of the
women served had physical disabilities
Only 35% of the programs offered disability
awareness training for their staff
49% of the programs reported that the most
effective outreach service for making women with
disabilities aware of their services was community
presentations, but only 16% offered such outreach
services

17. Reporting issues
Women with disabilities are less likely to
report abuse because:
Have limited job opportunities and lack the means
with which to support themselves independently
Lack shelter, housing options, or transportation
May experience extreme isolation fostered by
society’s attitudes of segregation
The experience of having a disability significantly
impacts their ability to become and remain socially
and economically independent
Society often questions the ability of a person with
a disability to parent effectively

18. Complications in Reporting
Believability
Health related issues
Income/employability
Finances (credit history)
Personal assistance needs
Child custody
Housing
Transportation
Legal system difficulties
Speech and cognition difficulties
Judged too rapidly

19. Areas of potential crime or
abuse often overlooked
Withholding medication
Withholding personal care services
Withholding needed medical equipment like walkers,
canes, wheelchairs, etc.
Causing physical pain during routines of daily living
Physically restraining the person
Making the individual lie in their own waste or remain
unwashed/bathed
Withholding benefits/money or controlling the person’s
finances
Using personal items or property without permission

20. What constitutes a crime?
What is the difference between abuse
and a crime?
Webster Dict. –
Abuse: “to treat badly, mistreat, maltreatment,
etc.”
Crime: “a grave offense, an act punishable by
law, forbidden, etc.”
Can we identify possible
abuses/crimes that law enforcement
may not immediately recognize as a
crime?

21. Children with disabilities
have a right to:
Be told the truth
Be believed
Have their disability kept in perspective
Have their own life and privacy
afforded to all children
Be protected
Be a child

22. Services
Make shelters for battered women fully
accessible, including barrier-free
access to sleeping rooms and
common areas, architectural features
that comply with the ADA legislation,
visual and auditory alaRMs systems,
and TDDs for telephone
communication

23. Provide, or refer to, legal assistance
for obtaining restraining orders and
managing court systems which are
accessible to persons with disabilities

24. Assist and encourage police in
recording disability status in their crime
reports, as well as , encouraging
adoption of a separate category for
perpetrators who are caregivers

25. Offer training to disability-related
service providers, including
independent living centers and
churches, on recognizing the
symptoms of abuse and the
characteristics of potential batterers.

26. Train staff or learn how to
communicate with persons who have
hearing, cognitive, speech, or
psychiatric impairments. They should
understand environmental barriers
faced by persons with physical and
sensory disabilities when offering
advice or referrals for obtaining shelter.

27. Question the equality of all
services
Question the equality of all services
Is there equal protection?
Is there equal access?
Are services equal?