Criminals Prey On The Disabled And Vulnerable

Highlights

The rate of violent victimization against persons with disabilities was nearly four times the rate for persons without disabilities. But the story regarding vulnerable crime victims goes far beyond the disabled.

We come to understand what fellow cops told me at my first bloody domestic violence call, “violent criminals are cowards. They only victimize the vulnerable.”

Veteran officers warned that I would experience a multitude of criminal victimization involving women, smaller individuals, the elderly, children, and the disabled.

Author

Leonard Adam Sipes, Jr.

Retired federal senior spokesperson. Thirty-five years of directing award-winning public relations for national and state criminal justice agencies. Interviewed multiple times by every national news outlet. Former Senior Specialist for Crime Prevention for the Department of Justice’s clearinghouse. Former Director of Information Services, National Crime Prevention Council. Former Adjunct Associate Professor of criminology and public affairs-University of Maryland, University College. Former advisor to presidential and gubernatorial campaigns. Former advisor to the “McGruff-Take a Bite Out of Crime” national media campaign. Certificate of Advanced Study-Johns Hopkins University. Former police officer. Aspiring drummer.

Author of ”Success With The Media: Everything You Need To Survive Reporters and Your Organization” available at Amazon and additional booksellers.

Article

The rate of violent victimization against persons with disabilities was nearly four times the rate for persons without disabilities.

But the story regarding vulnerable crime victims goes far beyond the disabled.

One of my first domestic violence calls involved a small woman beaten by her six-foot-plus husband who hit her with a frying pan. The veteran officers warned that I would experience a multitude of criminal victimization involving women, smaller individuals, the elderly and the disabled.

“Violent criminals are cowards,” one said. “They prey against the vulnerable.”

He’s right. The rate of violent victimization against women sometimes exceeds that of men per the Bureau of Justice Statistics. This was not the case in previous decades. For females with disabilities, the rate of violent victimization was 49.4 per 1,000, higher than that of males, 42.7 per 1,000.

There are categories of property crimes and frauds that target the elderly, again per the Bureau of Justice Statistics. Criminology is filled with references to mesomorphs (larger offenders) using their size to intimidate. Child abuse is a significant challenge with most offenders having histories of abuse and neglect.

The data below focuses on the victimization of the disabled from the Bureau of Justice Statistics of the US Department of Justice.

Data Highlights-Crime Against Persons with Disabilities

In 2019, the rate of violent victimization against persons with disabilities was nearly four times the rate for persons without disabilities (49.2 compared to 12.4 per 1,000 age 12 or older).

Persons with disabilities were victims of 26% of all nonfatal violent crime, while accounting for about 12% of the population.

One in three robbery victims (33%) had at least one disability.

Persons with cognitive disabilities had the highest rate of violent victimization (83.3 per 1,000) among the disability types measured.

Nineteen percent of rapes or sexual assaults against persons with disabilities were reported to police, compared to 36% of those against persons without disabilities.

The rate of simple assault against persons with disabilities (28.3 per 1,000) was more than three times the rate for persons without disabilities (8.3 per 1,000).

Although persons with disabilities accounted for 12% of the population, they were victims in 26% of violent crime incidents.

Thirty-three percent of robbery victimizations involved a victim with a disability, which was higher than the percentages of aggravated assault (27%), rape/sexual assault (27%), and simple assault (25%) victimizations against those with disabilities.

During 2017–19, the rate of violent victimization against males with disabilities was 42.7 per 1,000, compared to 13.4 per 1,000 males without disabilities.

For females with disabilities, the rate of violent victimization was 49.4 per 1,000, compared to 11.3 per 1,000 for females without disabilities.

For each racial and ethnic group measured, persons with disabilities had higher violent victimization rates than persons without disabilities.

For whites, blacks, Hispanics, and persons of other races, the rate of violent victimization for persons with disabilities was at least triple that of persons without disabilities.

Hispanics with disabilities (55.3 per 1,000) had a higher rate of violent victimization than blacks with disabilities (39 per 1,000).

During 2017–19, the rate of violent victimization against persons with disabilities was at least 3.5 times the rate against those without disabilities for each age group measured except persons age 65 or older.

Strangers committed a lower percentage of violent victimizations against persons with disabilities (32%) than against persons without disabilities (41%).

A similar percentage of violent victimizations against persons with (11%) or without (13%) disabilities was committed by an intimate partner.

Other relatives (including parents, children, and other relatives) accounted for a higher percentage of violent victimizations against persons with disabilities (14%) than against persons without disabilities (7%).

The percentage of violent victimizations committed by a non-relative the victim knew was similar for victims with (33%) and without (30%) disabilities.

Bureau Of Justice Statistics

Conclusions

Everyone in the justice system understands vulnerability and criminal victimization, which is why we embrace a victim’s perspective rather than an offender’s point of view advanced by a multitude of progressives.

One in three robbery victims (33%) had at least one disability. That’s profoundly troubling. It’s worthy of national attention. Although persons with disabilities accounted for 12% of the population, they were victims in 26% of violent crime incidents.

We come to understand what fellow cops told me at my first bloody domestic violence call, “violent criminals are cowards.”

I understand that we in the justice system need to support programs for offenders and eliminate as many barriers to their reintegration as possible. I also get that many crimes against women, children, the elderly, and the disabled are committed by people who know them, which complicates prosecution.

The public hears about these victimizations through the media thus unsupportive politicians are taking a beating in election after election, Cops and Crime Changed Elections.

Criminal victimization against the disabled and vulnerable is a reason why.

See More

See more articles on crime and justice at Crime in America.

Most Dangerous Cities/States/Countries at Most Dangerous Cities.

US Crime Rates at Nationwide Crime Rates.

National Offender Recidivism Rates at Offender Recidivism.

An Overview Of Data On Mental Health at Mental Health And Crime.

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