New Government Report Shows Crime Against Disabled Increasing

The number of violent crimes committed against people with disabilities is on the rise -- increasing nearly 20% in 2012 over 2011 estimates -- this according to a study released this month by the federal government and reported on by Disability Scoop. The government's data also shows that disabled people living in the community were nearly three times as likely to be the victim of a violent crime as were non-disabled people.

from the www.disabilityscoop.com post:

The U.S. Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Statistics said Tuesday that there were 1.3 million nonfatal violent crimes against persons with disabilities in 2012, up from the roughly 1.1 million estimated for 2011.

The findings come from the National Crime Victimization Survey, which is conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau and asks about experiences with crime — whether reported or unreported to police — among those age 12 and older living in the community.

Individuals with disabilities encountered violent crime at nearly three times the rate of those in the general population, the report found. Simple assaults were the most commonly cited crime against this group followed by robbery, aggravated assault and rape or sexual assault.

Those with cognitive disabilities had the highest rate of victimization and about half of violent crime victims with disabilities had multiple conditions, the Bureau of Justice Statistics said.

:: Read the report - Crime Against Persons with Disabilities, 2009–2012 - Statistical Tables
:: Disability Scoop post - Crime Odds Nearly Triple For Those With Disabilities
:: Related article - Survey Finds Disability Abuse Widespread