Criminal Justice Personnel

Understanding and Reaching Formerly Incarcerated Survivors with Disabilities

People with disabilities are over-represented in our nation’s jails and prisons. And, most people who serve time in jail or prison were victims of some type of harm or abuse …
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Understanding and Reaching Formerly Incarcerated Survivors with Disabilities

People with disabilities are over-represented in our nation’s jails and prisons. And, most people who serve time in jail or prison were victims of some type of harm or abuse before they were convicted of a crime. This means that every year, many survivors with disabilities are returning to the community after a period of incarceration. When they come home, these survivors carry both the trauma of suffering violence and the burden of intense stigma that comes both from having spent time incarcerated and having a disability. This stigma can create real barriers to reentry, healing, and disability services. In this webinar, Allison Hastings and Kaitlin Kall of The Vera Institute of Justice discuss the impact of incarceration on people with disabilities, the victimization experiences of people who have a history of incarceration, and barriers to services for formerly incarcerated survivors with disabilities.

Vera Institute of Justice
Interviewing Survivors with Disabilities

Survivors of sexual violence with disabilities have unique needs when being interviewed as part of a criminal justice response. It is important that interviews balance a trauma informed approach with …
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Interviewing Survivors with Disabilities

Survivors of sexual violence with disabilities have unique needs when being interviewed as part of a criminal justice response. It is important that interviews balance a trauma informed approach with accessibility. Incorporating a trauma informed approach helps to reduce the possibility of revictimization. Ensuring that the interview is accessible may mean shorter interviews, interviews at alternative locations, or other modifications. This webinar will provide an overview of best practices for interviewing survivors with disabilities to ensure that interviews are safe and accessible for all survivors with disabilities.

Vera Institute of Justice
Sexual Victimization of Men with Disabilities and Deaf Men: A National Snapshot

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) defines disability as any “physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities.”1 Major life activities include seeing, hearing, reading, …
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Sexual Victimization of Men with Disabilities and Deaf Men: A National Snapshot

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) defines disability as any “physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities.”1 Major life activities include seeing, hearing, reading, walking, and eating. Based on this definition, approximately 20 percent of Americans have a disability.2 Unfortunately, research suggests that having a disability may increase a person’s risk for experiencing victimization. Based on the most recent national estimates, the rate of violent victimization against people with disabilities was more than twice the rate for those without disabilities.3 The rate of serious violent victimization (including sexual assault, robbery, and aggravated assault) was more than three times higher than the rate for people without disabilities. Studies also show that people with disabilities have a higher probability of repeat victimization, and by multiple perpetrators.4

Since 2005, the Vera Institute of Justice (Vera) has been working within communities to address victimization of people with disabilities. In those communities, we have heard a common refrain: At the intersection of violence and disability, men with disabilities experience domestic and sexual violence at rates higher than their counterparts without disabilities. Because so much of the narrative surrounding domestic and sexual violence has assumed that the primary victims are female, Vera sought to better understand the victimization experiences of male survivors with disabilities and those who are Deaf and delineate the challenges they face when accessing victim services. In partnership with the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office on Violence Against Women (OVW), Vera’s Center on Victimization and Safety launched a project to explore these issues in depth. The goal was to raise awareness of these underserved survivors, build consensus about the barriers to services, and begin identifying potential solutions.

Vera Institute of Justice
Promoting Accessibility and Accountability: Law Enforcement and Survivors with Disabilities and Deaf Survivors

It is important that law enforcement officers are aware of best practices when serving survivors with disabilities and Deaf survivors to ensure that their response to these survivors is effective …
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Promoting Accessibility and Accountability: Law Enforcement and Survivors with Disabilities and Deaf Survivors

It is important that law enforcement officers are aware of best practices when serving survivors with disabilities and Deaf survivors to ensure that their response to these survivors is effective and appropriate. During this webinar, two innovative programs will share their experiences related to working with law enforcement. They will provide an overview of the common barriers that survivors with disabilities, and specifically those with intellectual and developmental disabilities and those who are Deaf, face when interacting with law enforcement. Additionally, they will provide strategies for how law enforcement can build safe and effective relationships with these communities

Vera Institute of Justice
The ADA@25: Impact and Implications for People with Disabilities Involved in the Justice System

In conjuncture with the 25th anniversary of the signing of the American’s with Disabilities Act, the Center on Victimization released this factsheet that reflects on the impact this legislation had …
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The ADA@25: Impact and Implications for People with Disabilities Involved in the Justice System

In conjuncture with the 25th anniversary of the signing of the American’s with Disabilities Act, the Center on Victimization released this factsheet that reflects on the impact this legislation had on justice involved people with disabilities and Deaf people.

Vera Institute of Justice
Culture, Language, and Access: Serving Deaf Survivors

Recent research suggests that Deaf women experience higher rates of sexual and domestic violence than their hearing counterparts, but are often shut off from victim services and supports that are …
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Culture, Language, and Access: Serving Deaf Survivors

Recent research suggests that Deaf women experience higher rates of sexual and domestic violence than their hearing counterparts, but are often shut off from victim services and supports that are ill-equipped to respond to their unique needs. As a result, they are denied access to services that could help them safely flee from abuse, heal from trauma, and seek justice after they have been harmed. The Culture, Language, and Access: Key Considerations for Serving Deaf Survivors of Domestic and Sexual Violence policy brief offers practical suggestions for expanding and enhancing Deaf survivors’ access to victim services and other supports.

Vera Institute of Justice

Criminal Justice Personnel

Understanding and Reaching Formerly Incarcerated Survivors with Disabilities

Interviewing Survivors with Disabilities

Sexual Victimization of Men with Disabilities and Deaf Men: A National Snapshot

Promoting Accessibility and Accountability: Law Enforcement and Survivors with Disabilities and Deaf Survivors

The ADA@25: Impact and Implications for People with Disabilities Involved in the Justice System

Culture, Language, and Access: Serving Deaf Survivors

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