by Paula Dobbyn | Nov 17, 2021 | Blog, News
People with disabilities face a much higher rate of violent crime than people without disabilities, a new federal report finds.
The rate of violent victimization against people with disabilities was almost 4 times the rate for those without disabilities during 2017 to 2019, the period studied, according to statistics from the U.S. Justice Department.
Persons with disabilities were victims of 26% of all nonfatal violent crime, while accounting for 12% of the population.
One in three robbery victims had at least one disability, and people with cognitive disabilities had the highest rate of violent victimization, according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, an arm of the Justice Department.
The report also found that people with disabilities who are rape victims are much less likely to seek help from law enforcement. Nineteen percent of rapes or sexual assaults against people with disabilities were reported to police, compared to 36% of those against persons without disabilities.
For women with disabilities, the rate of violent victimization was 49.4 per 1,000 people, compared to 11.3 per 1,000 females without disabilities.
People with cognitive disabilities had the highest rate of violent victimization among the types of disabilities measured.
Researchers compiled the findings through an annual National Crime Victimization Survey carried out by the U.S. Census Bureau.
by Paula Dobbyn | Oct 12, 2021 | Blog, News
A new statewide survey reveals a staggeringly high percentage of Alaska women face victimization in their homes, relationships and communities, figures that are likely underreported and on the rise.
According to the 2020 Alaska Victimization Survey, conducted by the University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA) Justice Center and the Council on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault, nearly 60% of Alaska women surveyed reported having experienced intimate partner violence, sexual violence, or both during their lifetime.
That’s a 14.7% increase from a similar study conducted in 2015.
Some 2,100 women over 18 participated in the survey. It found that 48 out of 100 Alaska women reported intimate partner violence; 41 out of 100 Alaska women experienced sexual violence; and 58 out of 100 experienced either of these types of violence over the course of their lifetime.
“This survey helps give voice to the hundreds of victims of violence across our diverse state,” said L. Diane Casto, executive director of the Alaska Council on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault.
The data shines a light on the scope of the problem, increases public awareness and should help policymakers better align and direct resources to the areas that need them the most, she said.
The lead researcher on the project was UAA’s Dr. Ingrid Johnson.
The numbers were collected via household survey of randomly selected adult women in Alaska. Participants are asked a series of behaviorally specific questions to determine their experiences with lifetime and past year intimate partner violence, sexual violence, and stalking, according to the researchers.
The high abuse statistics likely reflect only a fraction of what Alaska women actually experience.
Numerous studies, including national victimization surveys, have found the majority of individuals who experience rape/sexual assault and nearly half of those who experience intimate partner violence do not report their victimization to police.
Researchers say the best way to gather data on crime victimization is to ask a large number of individuals whether or not they have been victimized, and make estimates based on those data.
Read the study here.
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