CRIME TRENDS
Between 2009 and 2015, individuals with disabilities were at
least twice as likely to be victims of violent victimization as
people without disabilities. In 2015, nearly 30 of every 1,000
people age 12 or older with a disability reported violent
victimization, compared to 12 of every 1,000 people age 12
or older without a disability.
B
Violent Victimization
B
rate per 1,000 people age 12 or older
Nearly 11 of every 1,000 individuals with a single type of
disability were victims of a serious violent victimization.
1
For
individuals with multiple disabilities, 14 out of every 1,000
were victims of a serious violent victimization.
B
The rate of violent victimization among men and women
with at least one disability was more than twice the rate for
men and women without a disability.
B
Individuals with disabilities are particularly vulnerable to crime for a variety of reasons, including but not limited
to reliance on caregivers, limited transportation options, limited access to Sign Language interpreters and assistive
devices, and isolation from the community. While people with disabilities experience the same types of crime as
people without disabilities, they may also experience unique forms of these crimes. For example, intimate partner
violence victims with disabilities may be subject to denial of care or assistance, destruction of medical equipment,
destruction of equipment for communication purposes, or manipulation of medications, in addition to more
common controlling and abusive behaviors.
A
These vulnerabilities not only increase opportunities for abuse and
neglect, but they also make reporting victimization more difficult for victims.
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Crimes Against People with Disabilities
DID YOU KNOW?
The National Crime Victimization Survey rst included
questions about disability victimization in 2007.
Between 2011 and 2015, 20% of crime victims with
disabilities believed they were targeted because of their
disability.
B
People with multiple disabilities are more frequently victims
of rape and sexual assault compared to victims with only
one form of disability. Between 2011 and 2015, 65% of rape/
sexual assault victims with a disability had multiple types of
disability.
B
People with a single disability were less likely to report their
victimization to the police compared to people with multiple
disabilities.
B
2018 National Crime Victims’ Rights Week Resource Guide: Crime and Victimization Fact Sheets
Individuals with disabilities
Individuals without disabilities
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
50
2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
Individuals With Disabilities Individuals Without Disabilities
13.6
50
28.9
2009 2010 2011 20142012
11.8
29.5
20152013
Violent Victimization by Crime and Number of Disabilities
B
rate per 1,000 people age 12 or older
Violent Victimization by Sex and Disability
B
rate per 1,000 people age 12 or older
Simple
assault
Aggravated assault
Single disability
Multiple disabilities
18.2
5.5
21.1
6.4
25
Robbery Rape/sexual
assault
4.5
5.0
1.4
2.8
Men Women
32.8
11.4
14.1
31.8
35
Individuals with
disabilities
Individuals without
disabilities
SOURCES
A Beckie Child et al., “Understanding the Experience of Crime Victims with
Disabilities and Deaf Victims,” J of Policy Practice vol. 10, 4(2011): 247-67,
http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/15588742.2011.605829
B Bureau of Justice Statistics, Crime Against Persons with Disabilities, 2009-
2015 Statistical Tables, (U.S. Department of Justice, 2017), https://www.bjs.
gov/content/pub/pdf/capd0913st.pdf
C Children’s Bureau, Child Maltreatment 2013, (U.S. Department of Health
& Human Services, 2015), https://www.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/les/cb/
cm2013.pdf
NOTES
1 Violent victimization encompasses rape, sexual assault, robbery, aggra-
vated assault, and simple assault. Serious violent victimization excludes
simple assault.
2 The term “disability” encompasses a wide range of physical, mental, and
emotional limitations. To quantify victims’ experiences, researchers group
disabilities into various categories. Common terms include: physical,
ambulatory, vision, hearing; mental, cognitive, intellectual, memory, emo-
tional, behavioral; and autonomy, self-care, independent living.
Individuals with a disability who experience violent
victimization are more frequently victimized by relatives,
including parents and children, and acquaintances than
victims without a disability. Almost 95% of individuals with a
disability who were victims of violent crime could identify their
perpetrator; 40% were victimized by an acquaintance, 30%
were victimized by a stranger, and 15% were victimized by an
intimate partner. (An acquaintance is dened as someone who
was well or casually known to the victim, including caregivers.)
B
In 2013, nearly 13% of children who were abused or
neglected also had a disability. Of those, children with
behavioral problems (24%) and those with emotional
disturbance (19%) were most frequently victimized. One-
third of victimized children with a disability also had an
unlisted medical condition.
C
Between 2011 and 2015, nearly 60 of every 1,000 individuals
age 12 or older with a cognitive disability reported they
were victims of a violent victimization. Of individuals age 15
or older with an independent living, ambulatory, vision, or
self-care disability, about 30 of every 1,000 individuals were
victims of a violent victimization, as were nearly 16 of every
1,000 individuals with a hearing disability.
B2
Individuals with a disability were slightly more likely to
report receiving assistance from non-police victim service
agencies compared to individuals without a disability.
Overall, only a small percentage of violent crime victims
receive victim services.
B
Victim Relationship to Offender
B
Child Victims of Abuse and Neglect
C
by disability type
CURRENT DATA ON CRIMES AGAINST PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES
Victims Who Receive Services
B
by disability status
Victims without
disabilities
8
12
Victims with
disabilities
15%
Other medical condition (33%)
Behavioral problem (24%)
Emotional disturbance (19%)
Learning disability (9%)
Visual or hearing impairment (6%)
Physical disability (5%)
Intellectual disability (4%)
Behavioral Problem
Emotional Disturbance
Learning Disability
Visually or Hearing Impaired
Physical Disability
Intellectual Disability
Other Medical Condition
Well Known/Casual Acquaintances
Strangers
Intimate Partner
Other Relatives
Unknown
Well Known/Casual Acquaintances
Strangers
Intimate Partner
Other Relatives
Unknown
Behavioral Problem
Emotional Disturbance
Learning Disability
Visually or Hearing Impaired
Physical Disability
Intellectual Disability
Other Medical Condition
Well Known/Casual Acquaintances
Strangers
Intimate Partner
Other Relatives
Unknown
Well Known/Casual Acquaintances
Strangers
Intimate Partner
Other Relatives
Unknown
Behavioral Problem
Emotional Disturbance
Learning Disability
Visually or Hearing Impaired
Physical Disability
Intellectual Disability
Other Medical Condition
Well Known/Casual Acquaintances
Strangers
Intimate Partner
Other Relatives
Unknown
Well Known/Casual Acquaintances
Strangers
Intimate Partner
Other Relatives
Unknown
Aquaintance (40%) Aquaintance (33%)
Stranger (30%) Stranger (39%)
Intimate partner (15%) Intimate partner (13%)
Other relative (10%) Other relative (6%)
Unknown (5%) Unknown (9%)
Cognitive Independent
living
57.9
30.8
22.3
12.1
60
Ambulatory Vision
18.8
29.4
16.3
13.1
Self-care Hearing
35.6
28.8
17.6
11.3
25.9
16
9.9
15.7
7.97.8
Total violent
victimization
Serious violent
victimization
Simple
assault
Victimization of People with Disabilities
by Type of Disability and Victimization
B1
rate per 1,000 people with disabilities age 12 or older
Victims with
disabilities
Victims without
disabilities