Invisible Victims: Violence Against Persons With Developmental Disabilities

• NCJ Number: 189416
• Journal: Human Rights Volume: 27 Issue: 1 Dated: Winter 2000 Pages: 9-12
• Author(s): Joan Petersilia
• Date Published: 2000
• Length: 4 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Issue Overview
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

After examining the prevalence and risk of criminal victimization for persons with developmental disabilities, this article offers suggestions for what can be done to address this problem.

Abstract

Although scientific evidence on the prevalence and risk of criminal victimization for persons with developmental disabilities is scanty, it is important and consistent. Studies from the United States, Canada, Australia, and Great Britain consistently confirm high rates of violence and abuse in the lives of persons with disabilities. Sobsey and his colleagues reviewed the available literature and concluded that the best conservative estimate was that people with developmental disabilities were 4 to 10 times more likely to be victims of crimes than were people without disabilities (Sobsey, Lucardie, and Mansell 1995). A desire for acceptance often leads people with cognitive disabilities to acquiesce in behavior they do not like or do not want for fear of losing social contact. They often feel powerless to avoid painful or harmful experiences. Additionally, victims with cognitive disabilities often lack the vocabulary to report the abuse, and even if it is reported, the victim is often not believed or is thought to be fantasizing or to have merely misinterpreted what occurred. It is important to break the silence and raise awareness about this issue among potential victims, their families, disability service providers, and law enforcement. Further, personal safety training must be conducted for persons with developmental disabilities, so they will have the skills needed to avoid, recognize, and report crimes when they occur. There are now some good personal safety training curricula to educate persons with disabilities about these issues. Other actions that should be taken are to increase the accessibility of disabled victims to crisis services and to conduct research on the prevalence of such victimization.