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Date: April 18, 2024 Thu
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13 results foundAuthor: Tippett, Neil Title: Prevention and Response to Identity-Based Bullying Among Local Authorities in England, Scotland and Wales Summary: The overall aim of the report is to establish the extent and effectiveness of local authorities’ and schools’ actions to prevent and respond to prejudice-based bullying of young people both inside and outside of school, on the grounds of disability, gender, gender identity, race, religion or belief or sexual orientation. Summary of Findings: 1.‘Identity-based’ (or ‘Prejudice-based’) bullying is widespread and continues to blight the lives of many young people, affecting educational attainment and having a long term impact on their life chances. A common cause is children’s, and sometimes teachers’ poor understanding of diversity; 2.Schools (and local authorities) need to know the extent of the problem and reasons for any bullying. Recording incidents of the different types of prejudice-based bullying is therefore crucial. Without the appropriate baseline data it is impossible to know the extent of bullying, or monitor the impact of interventions and progress on tackling the problem, or direct resources where they are most needed. Our survey revealed support for a statutory requirement to record and report incidents of prejudice-based bullying, in order to understand the problem and target action and resources where it is needed most. 3.Greater guidance and support is needed to help schools take action against prejudice-based bullying. Our research shows that guidance plays a crucial role in directing anti-bullying work and focussing attention on particular areas. Central government guidance, such as ‘Safe to Learn’ has been well received and more practical guidance from government and non-government organisations was asked for by some respondents. 4.In order to effectively tackle this form of bullying, specific preventative strategies must be adopted such as a ‘whole school approach’ which considers all the equality strands, and focuses on tackling prejudice. Focus within: whole school policies, equality action plans, assemblies, PHSE and citizenship curriculum. Preventative measures are crucial as bullying of this type is a response to prejudice and may happen due to poor understanding of diversity. Bullying of LGB young people and disabled children, including those with learning difficulties shows a particularly strong relationship to prejudiced attitudes held throughout the school. Details: London: Equality and Human Rights Commission, 2010. 147p. Source: Internet Resource: Research Report 64: Accessed March 28, 2011 at: http://www.equalityhumanrights.com/uploaded_files/research/64_identity_based_bullying.pdf Year: 2010 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://www.equalityhumanrights.com/uploaded_files/research/64_identity_based_bullying.pdf Shelf Number: 121079 Keywords: Bullying (U.K.)DisabilitiesDiscriminationPrejudiceSchool Crime |
Author: Ortoleva, Stephanie Title: Forgotten Sisters - A Report on Violence against Women with Disabilities An Overview of its Nature, Scope, Causes and Consequences Summary: This report, prepared by scholars and human rights advocates who are members of the Working Group on Violence against Women with Disabilities, focuses on the prevalence and pervasiveness of violence against women and girls with disabilities. The Working Group recognizes the need to ensure that women and girls with disabilities are included as full participants in data-gathering, analysis, and proposed solutions as the mandates of Ms. Rashida Manjoo, the UN Special Rapporteur on Violence against Women, its Causes and Consequences, and Mr. Shuaib Chalklen, the Special Rapporteur on Disability, move forward. Additionally, the Working Group calls on international organizations, especially those focused on women’s rights such as the UN Commission on the Status of Women (which will consider as its priority thematic issue violence against women at its 57th session in March 2013) and UN Women, and the international community, governments and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to join us in the effort to highlight these critical issues. Because women with disabilities make up a significant part of the world’s population, principles of fairness and equality require that the world engage in a vigorous discussion on how to end violence against them. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Bank (WB), more than one billion people (approximately 15% of the world’s population) live with some form of disability. Significantly, for the World Bank and World Health Organization disability level threshold of 40, which includes those experiencing significant difficulties in their everyday lives for both low income and high income countries, the male disability prevalence rate is 12 with standard error .18 and the female disability prevalence rate is 19.2 with standard error .19. Based on these figures, it is clear that women with disabilities constitute a significant portion of the global population and that the pervasive violence against women with disabilities must be addressed. The 2011 Report of the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women focused on the multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination that contribute to and exacerbate violence against women, noting that factors such as ability, age, access to resources, race/ethnicity, language, religion, sexual orientation and gender identity and class can exacerbate the violence women experience. Although women with disabilities experience many of the same forms of violence all women experience, when gender and disability intersect, violence takes on unique forms, has unique causes, and results in unique consequences. Further, women with disabilities who are also people of color or members of minority or indigenous peoples, or who are lesbian, trans-gender or intersex or who live in poverty, can be subject to particularized forms of violence and discrimination. These intersections must be explored in greater depth to ensure that the complexities of violence against women with disabilities are properly understood and addressed. Details: Boston: Northeastern University School of Law, 2012. 229p. Source: Internet Resource: School of Law Faculty Publications. Paper 184; Accessed August 20, 2013 at: http://iris.lib.neu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1184&context=slaw_fac_pubs Year: 2012 Country: International URL: http://iris.lib.neu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1184&context=slaw_fac_pubs Shelf Number: 129616 Keywords: DisabilitiesDisabilityViolence Against Women (International) |
Author: Southern Poverty Law Center Title: Cruel Confinement: Abuse, Discrimination and Death Within Alabama's Prisons Summary: An investigation by the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) and Alabama Disabilities Advocacy Program (ADAP) has found that for many people incarcerated in Alabama's state prisons, a sentence is more than a loss of freedom. Prisoners, including those with disabilities and serious physical and mental illnesses, are condemned to penitentiaries where systemic indifference, discrimination and dangerous - even life-threatening - conditions are the norm. Details: Montgomery, AL: Southern Poverty Law Center, 2014. 24p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed June 17, 2014 at: http://www.adap.net/Alabama%20Prison%20Report_final.pdf Year: 2014 Country: United States URL: http://www.adap.net/Alabama%20Prison%20Report_final.pdf Shelf Number: 132495 Keywords: DisabilitiesHealth CareMentally Ill OffendersPrison AdministrationPrison ConditionsPrisoners |
Author: Frawley, Patsie Title: What does it take? Developing informed and effective tertiary responses to violence and abuse of women and girls with disabilities in Australia: State of knowledge paper Summary: This paper establishes the current state of knowledge on tertiary responses to violence and abuse for women and girls with disabilities. The paper outlines: -tertiary responses to violence and abuse for women and young women with disabilities; and -what the evidence says about the effectiveness of tertiary responses for women and young women with disabilities Details: Alexandria, NSW: Australia's National Research Organisation for Women's Safety Limited (ANROWS), 2015. 32p. Source: Internet Resource: State of Knowledge Paper, Issue 03: Accessed February 25, 2016 at: http://media.aomx.com/anrows.org.au/s3fs-public/3_3.4%20Landscapes%20Disability.pdf Year: 2015 Country: Australia URL: http://media.aomx.com/anrows.org.au/s3fs-public/3_3.4%20Landscapes%20Disability.pdf Shelf Number: 137961 Keywords: DisabilitiesDisabled PersonsViolence Against Women, Girls |
Author: Guy, Anna Title: Locked Up and Locked Down: Segregation of Inmates with Mental Illness Summary: Segregation disproportionately affects inmates with mental illness, according to a report released today by the AVID Prison Project, and experts assert most inmates acquire mental illness or experience worsened symptoms as a result of conditions in segregation. Today, 80,000 to 100,000 inmates are segregated in U.S. prisons. They will remain isolated in small single person cells, 22 to 24 hours per day, for up to years at a time. Even President Obama, the first sitting president to tour a prison, recognized that mental illness can worsen in segregation and inmates with mental illness are more likely to commit suicide. Locked Up and Locked Down: Segregation of Inmates with Mental Illness chronicles advocacy efforts undertaken across the country on behalf of inmates with mental illness. The Amplifying Voices of Inmates with Disabilities (AVID) Prison Project, in partnership with the National Disability Rights Network and protection and advocacy agencies from twenty states, released the report, which calls for national prison reform measures. Details: Seattle, Disability Rights Washington, AVID Prison Project, 2016. 36p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed September 13, 2016 at: http://www.disabilityrightswa.org/sites/default/files/uploads/Locked%20Up%20and%20Locked%20Down%20--%20AVID%20Prison%20Project%20PDF%20w%20Pictures%20FINAL.pdf Year: 2016 Country: United States URL: http://www.disabilityrightswa.org/sites/default/files/uploads/Locked%20Up%20and%20Locked%20Down%20--%20AVID%20Prison%20Project%20PDF%20w%20Pictures%20FINAL.pdf Shelf Number: 147321 Keywords: DisabilitiesMentally Ill InmatesMentally Ill OffendersMentally Ill PrisonersPrisoner Segregation |
Author: Seevers, Rachel Title: Making Hard Time Harder: Programmatic Accommodations for Inmates with Disabilities Under the Americans with Disabilities Act Summary: The disproportionate incarceration of people with disabilities in the United States is a serious and growing problem. As the prison population ages, more inmates are reporting physical disabilities. 1 The U.S. has also seen a rise in the number of people with mental illness and developmental and cognitive disabilities in prison. 2 National surveys now indicate that as many as 31 percent of inmates in state prisons report having at least one disability. 3. While prison is hard for everyone, incarceration is even more challenging for inmates with disabilities. Research shows that inmates with disabilities are sentenced to an average of fifteen more months in prison as compared to other inmates with similar criminal convictions. 4 The time they serve is also harder, with more sanctions imposed and less access to positive programming than other inmates. 5 Prisoners with disabilities are also four times more likely to report recent psychological distress as compared to inmates without disabilities. 6. In a system intended to control and sanction behavior believed to violate the many regulations that govern prison life, inmates with disabilities who need accommodations are often overlooked, ignored, or even punished. Very few outsiders are allowed into the prisons, and the public rarely gets to witness the conditions in which many inmates are confined. In recent years, protection and advocacy agencies (P&As), organizations granted with special federal authority to enter facilities that serve people with disabilities, have been going behind prison walls to identify issues facing inmates with disabilities. P&As have received reports of inmates forced to drag themselves across their cell or sleep on the floor because their cane or walker was removed. Inmates with cognitive disorders, intellectual disabilities, or mental illness have sought assistance because they are unable to complete the programming required to move out of restrictive housing, forcing them to remain in segregation for years, if not decades. These same inmates may be punished for failing to follow the written rules of the prison, rules they either cannot read or cannot understand due to a disability, resulting in sanctions, loss of good time, or even additional criminal charges. Inmates in need of therapeutic diets or those who require assistance in activities of daily living often find themselves caught in an endless cycle of institutional grievances and appeals as they seek approval for accommodations in correctional policy and practice. In recognition of the growing population of inmates with disabilities, in 2012 Disability Rights Washington, the P&A for Washington State, began focusing more attention on the state's prisons, investigating the conditions of these correctional settings and working on creative solutions to some of the most serious problems faced by inmates with mental illness, brain injuries, and physical and intellectual disabilities. In early 2014, with increased funding through a private grant, Disability Rights Washington created Amplifying Voices of Inmates with Disabilities (AVID), a project with the sole purpose of protecting and advancing the rights of inmates with disabilities and assisting those who are reentering society.8 In September 2014, AVID brought together staff from the P&As in New York, South Carolina, Arizona, Colorado, Louisiana, and Texas, as well as from the National Disability Rights Network, to strategize about ways to increase national attention on the issues faced by inmates with disabilities. This report, which has grown out of that collaborative national effort, aims to highlight the difficulties that inmates with disabilities face as they seek to access programs and services in state prison systems. P&As from across the country provided examples of either past or ongoing advocacy to enforce the protections of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) on behalf of inmates with disabilities. By no means exhaustive, this report provides an overview of the protections afforded to inmates with disabilities under the ADA as well as examples in which P&As have advocated effectively on behalf of inmates with disabilities. This advocacy is multi-modal, ranging from routine monitoring, to informal and individual advocacy, to systemic litigation. This report begins with a brief overview of the P&A system, describes the different types of advocacy P&As use, and outlines the ADA's application to prisons. Next, this report details the work P&As across the country have done to advance inmates' rights under the ADA, focusing on three main areas of prison life: (1) hygiene, health, and safety, (2) accommodations in communication, and (3) access to programming and services. A review of this work reveals that while the ADA has been in place for more than 25 years, much remains to be done to bring programs and buildings in the nation's prisons into compliance with the requirements of the ADA. This report concludes with a series of recommendations for future action. Highlights from those recommendations include: 1) Increased federal funding to the P&A network for corrections-based monitoring and advocacy; 2) Creation of independent corrections ombuds offices at the state level in order to address inmate concerns before they rise to the level of litigation; 3) Systemic accessibility reviews by state departments of corrections to identify both physical and programmatic barriers for inmates with disabilities; 4) Increased training for prison ADA coordinators and collaboration between these staff members and the local P&As to address inmate concerns. Ultimately, this report is intended to spur interest and action within the P&A network and other prison advocacy groups and increase focus on what has become a crisis within the nation's prison system. Details: Seattle, WA: Washington, DC: Disability Rights Washington, 2016. 40p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed September 26, 2016 at: http://drme.org/assets/uncategorized/making-hard-time-harder-pdf-version.pdf Year: 2016 Country: United States URL: http://drme.org/assets/uncategorized/making-hard-time-harder-pdf-version.pdf Shelf Number: 146106 Keywords: Developmental DisabilitiesDisabilitiesPhysically Handicapped |
Author: Coleman, Nick Title: Crime and disabled people: Measures of disability-related harassment. 2016 update Summary: The Equality and Human Rights Commission (the Commission) is a statutory body established under the Equality Act 2006. It operates independently to encourage equality and diversity, eliminate unlawful discrimination, and promote and protect human rights. The Commission enforces equality legislation on age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation. It encourages compliance with the Human Rights Act 1998 and is accredited by the UN as an 'A status' National Human Rights Institution. An inquiry into disability-related harassment by the Commission in 2010/11 led to the report 'Hidden in Plain Sight' (Equality and Human Rights Commission, 2011). This report found that many people who experience such harassment see it as a commonplace part of everyday life, rather than as 'hate crime'. Police records provide information about the number of such crimes that are reported. However, the number of people who experience disability-related harassment may be considerably higher. The 2012 report 'Out in the open - tackling disability-related harassment: a manifesto for change,' (Equality and Human Rights Commission, 2012) which followed the initial inquiry, noted that, while data currently available do not give a full picture of disability-related harassment, national crime surveys - specifically the Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW) (formerly the British Crime Survey) and the Scottish Crime and Justice Survey (SCJS) - provide information on disabled people's experiences of crime, disability hate crime, and the extent to which disabled people report crime that they have experienced. The report identified a set of six measures from these surveys that can help to gauge progress over time. In 2013, research was undertaken to analyse the statistics for these measures. The findings were published in a Commission research report on 'Crime and disabled people' (Coleman, Sykes and Walker, 2013), and used to inform the Manifesto for Change Progress Report, published in the same year (Equality and Human Rights Commission, 2013). The statistical analysis has now been updated, by Independent Social Research who carried out the 2013 analysis, and the findings are reported here for five of the original measures for which data are still collected. They, in turn, form part of 'Tackling disability-related harassment: progress report 2016' (EHRC, 2016). Details: Manchester, UK: Equality and Human Rights Commission, 2016. 120p. Source: Internet Resource: Research report 103: Accessed October 14, 2016 at: https://www.equalityhumanrights.com/sites/default/files/research-report-103-crime-and-disabled-people.pdf Year: 2016 Country: United Kingdom URL: https://www.equalityhumanrights.com/sites/default/files/research-report-103-crime-and-disabled-people.pdf Shelf Number: 144940 Keywords: DisabilitiesDisabled PeopleHarassmentHate Crimes |
Author: Llewellyn Gwynnyth Title: Disability and Child Sexual Abuse in Institutional Context Summary: Children and young people with disability are often absent in discussions about child sexual abuse as people with disability are left out of discussions about violence, abuse and neglect. This is due in part to individuals with disability being excluded from society, hidden away in institutions or in family homes. Community attitudes contribute to and are informed by the fact that people with disability, including children, are often seen in segregated, special and demeaning settings. This situation is changing slowly. People with disability are taking their rightful place as citizens actively contributing to and increasingly benefiting from all that our society has to offer. Segregation and exclusion in closed institutional contexts away from public scrutiny leaves children (and adults) with disability at heightened risk of violence and harm including sexual abuse. Further, when children with disability are stereotyped as dependent and passive and unable to 'speak up', they are at heightened vulnerability to being segregated, abused, overlooked and not heard. The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse recognised early on the likely particular vulnerabilities of children with disability and the institutional contexts which they encounter. This commissioned discussion paper set out to provide a reasoned analysis of the historical, social and policy context surrounding children with disability and to examine the evidence about prevalence and prevention of sexual abuse of children with disability in institutional contexts. To achieve this aim we proceeded iteratively and conceptually, drawing on our expertise and cumulative experience of over 60 years in disability, child and family studies, and care and protection. We used reports, submissions, position papers and scientific literature in Australia to analyse past approaches to children with disability and the present context of the changing nature of disability services in Australia. While the paper draws from materials that are relevant to Australia as a whole, some documents from New South Wales are used to illustrate specific points. Just as children and young people with disability are rarely present in discussions about sexual abuse, they are also remarkably absent from Australian literature on this subject. This is a major failing: we do not know the extent of sexual abuse of Australian children with disability. We therefore turned to international literature to identify prevalence figures and to examine the interactions between impairment and environment and their potential influence on the risk of sexual abuse. We found that internationally there is no clearly developed evidence base for the prevalence and risk of sexual abuse of children with disability. We provide an analysis and critique of international prevalence and risk figures and the application of these in the Australian context. Quality of care and safeguarding processes form the basis of the disability reform agenda in Australia and also of the incoming market approach to specialist support and service delivery, which relies on mainstreaming, and building inclusive and accessible communities. This has led to debate on possible fail-safe governance mechanisms and prevention strategies, although with remarkably less focus on children and young people with disability. There is an absence of empirical data in Australia on strategies to prevent sexual abuse of children with disability in institutional contexts. Again, we turned to the international literature to source information on relevant key factors. We approached this from a public health perspective that recognises the need to implement both population-based and targeted interventions. In this discussion paper we argue the need to put aside the community perception that disability is embedded within the child. This is not the official understanding of disability in Australia. Instead, disability is understood as arising from interactions between individuals with impairment and the various barriers that may hinder (their) full and effective participation in society on an equal basis with others. This understanding comes from the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF). We adhere to the key frameworks of the United Nations (UN) Convention on the Rights of the Child (CROC) and the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). These international covenants require that children with disability are considered as children first, with disability considered as only one feature and not the defining feature of their everyday lives. We also present an analysis and critique of the available literature on prevention of sexual abuse, noting the pitfalls in assuming a ‘special group’ approach to children with disability or a broad-brush approach to diversity. The human rights perspective is embedded within Australian legislation and policy directives in disability. It provides an excellent foundation to ensure that children with disability and their rights are more visible and to give them the same priority as other children. This is essential to ensure children with disability are safe in institutional contexts in the future. Details: Sydney: Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, 2016. 98p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed November 28, 2016 at: http://www.childabuseroyalcommission.gov.au/getattachment/0f4f0eb9-2a04-4f5b-967d-6e658a5db53c/Disability-and-child-sexual-abuse-in-institutional Year: 2016 Country: Australia URL: http://www.childabuseroyalcommission.gov.au/getattachment/0f4f0eb9-2a04-4f5b-967d-6e658a5db53c/Disability-and-child-sexual-abuse-in-institutional Shelf Number: 147909 Keywords: Child Abuse and NeglectChild ProtectionChild Sexual AbuseDisabilities |
Author: Stewart, Lynn A. Title: Intellectual Deficits Among Incoming Federally-sentenced Men and Women Offenders: Prevalence, Profiles, Outcomes Summary: Intellectual deficits are impairments of mental abilities that affect adaptive functioning.This study estimated the prevalence of deficits as defined by IQ score among 4,396 men and 292 women offenders entering federal custody and examined the association between IQ and key offender characteristics and correctional outcomes. Results indicated that 2.8% of men scored below 70 IQ (the intellectually disabled range) on a standardized measure of intellectual functioning, rates that are roughly similar those in the Canadian population. A further 7.3% scored in the borderline range (70-79). Federally-sentenced women, however, were more likely to suffer low cognitive function than federal men. Almost 6% of incoming women have an IQ below 70 and 12.7 % score in the borderline range. Combined, these results indicate that twice as many women in CSC are within the intellectually impaired ranges than is found in the Canadian population. The results link lower IQ to lower educational achievement, unstable employment, substance abuse, and symptoms of ADHD. Offenders with lower IQ had higher overall criminal risk and criminogenic need ratings than those in the unimpaired groups. The ratings on the employment and education domain and community function domains showed the greatest difference between the higher and lower IQ groups for the men; the women, however, demonstrated higher need for lower functioning women on all domains. Lower IQ was associated with higher rates of admission to segregation and institutional charges. Analyses of the security incidents showed that while men with lower IQs were not more likely to be victims than those with higher IQ, for women, those with lower IQ were both more likely to be victims and instigators. The rate of program completions for lower IQ offenders is quite good at around 80%. Reflecting their higher risk and need ratings and more problematic institutional behaviour, men and women offenders with lower IQ spent more of their sentences incarcerated prior to release and were less likely be granted discretionary release. IQ was related to men's revocations even when age, risk and need levels, and substance abuse rating were considered. Revocation rates were low for all women, but the same pattern linking low IQ to revocations was found. Higher IQ was a protective factor for women; none of the women in the above average range returned to custody during the follow-up period. Men with lower IQs require assistance with educational and employment training and accessing community services to improve their reintegration potential while the lower functioning women require assistance with all aspects of their functioning. This is especially true for Aboriginal women whose rates of impairment were significantly higher than non-Aboriginal women. Content of CSC's correctional programs, and the pedagogical techniques applied, are consistent with what has been shown to be effective in special education programs. The targets of these programs, with their focus on self regulation skills, are appropriate to the needs of the offenders with lower IQ identified in this research. Details: Ottawa: Correctional Service of Canada, 2015. 64p. Source: Internet Resource: 2015 No. R-367: Accessed April 5, 2018 at: http://publications.gc.ca/collections/collection_2017/scc-csc/PS83-3-367-eng.pdf Year: 2015 Country: Canada URL: http://publications.gc.ca/collections/collection_2017/scc-csc/PS83-3-367-eng.pdf Shelf Number: 149700 Keywords: Cognitive AbilitiesCorrectional ProgramsDisabilitiesFemale OffendersIntellectual DisabilitiesPrisoners |
Author: National Council on Disability Title: Not on the Radar: Sexual Assault of College Students with Disabilities Summary: Sexual assault can be devastating to victims and cause long term physical, psychological, and emotional effects, including depression, post-traumatic stress, thoughts of suicide, flashbacks, and sleep disorders. The issue of sexual assault on college campuses has received increased attention since the 2007 publication of the federally funded College Sexual Assault study, which found that 19 percent of female undergraduates were victims of sexual assault during their time in college. Another recent federally funded study surveyed 23,000 students across nine colleges and universities and found that the prevalence of sexual assault averaged 21 percent for females across the schools. Neither of these studies included disability status as a demographic and, as such, no data was gathered on the prevalence of sexual assault on students with disabilities. However, a recent large-scale study on campus sexual assault by the Association of American Universities revealed that college students with disabilities were victims of sexual violence at higher rates than students without disabilities - 31.6 percent of undergraduate females with disabilities reported nonconsensual sexual contact involving physical force or incapacitation, compared to 18.4 percent of undergraduate females without a disability. This means one out of every three undergraduate students with a disability was a victim of sexual violence on campus. As campuses across the United States work to prevent assaults, educate students on assault prevention, and provide supports for survivors, little is known about how colleges address the accessibility needs of students with disabilities who have suffered a sexual assault, or about the inclusivity of college programs, services, and policies to victims of assault with disabilities. This study set out to investigate the current state of campus sexual assault programs and policies and uncovered multiple barriers to students with disabilities, from reporting crime to receiving needed assistance afterward. The report includes recommendations for Congress, federal agencies, and colleges to improve reporting requirements, training, and policies and procedures to better serve students with disabilities who have experienced sexual assault on campus. Details: Washington, DC: The Council, 2018. 79p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed April 11, 2018 at: https://ncd.gov/sites/default/files/NCD_Not_on_the_Radar_Accessible_01292018.pdf Year: 2018 Country: United States URL: https://ncd.gov/sites/default/files/NCD_Not_on_the_Radar_Accessible_01292018.pdf Shelf Number: 149758 Keywords: Campus CrimeCampus RapeColleges and UniversitiesDisabilitiesDisabled PersonsSexual Assault |
Author: Calero, Samantha Title: The Ruderman White Paper On The Problematization and Criminalization of Children and Young Adults with Non-Apparent Disabilities Summary: Unlike people with visible or apparent disabilities, people with non-apparent disabilities often don't receive the accommodations guaranteed to them under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Due to the "invisible" nature of disabilities like autism, Crohn's disease, chronic fatigue syndrome, dyslexia, or any number of mental illnesses, some behaviors that are a direct result of these disabilities are often seen in school contexts as laziness, inattention, disrespect or defiance. Instead of receiving legally due accommodations for their disabilities, students with non-apparent disabilities are disproportionately labelled problem students. In combination with zero tolerance policies at schools, these students are suspended at disproportionately high rates and ultimately criminalized. The result of this systemic discrimination is that over half of our incarcerated population has a mental illness and another 19-31% have a non-apparent disability, like cognitive or learning disabilities. Our jail and prison systems are effectively warehouses for people with non-apparent disabilities. This problematization and criminalization starts very young-even in preschool. Focus and Findings We examine in detail the disproportionate impact that the School-to-Prison Pipeline, and the Foster-Care-to-Prison Pipeline have on children and youth with non-apparent disabilities. While the effects of these Pipelines are well-known in regards to other minorities, we have found that people with disabilities are over-represented in all the minority groups traditionally impacted by this type of systemic discrimination. These findings suggest that the intersection between disability, in this case specifically non-apparent disability, is a significant factor in systemic discrimination. We also examined the role of trauma in the development of non-apparent disabilities. Trauma-survivors are more likely to develop mental illness and about 35% of them develop learning disabilities. This means that children who have Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) are more likely to be caught up in the School-to-Prison Pipeline. And given that children are very often placed in foster care because of abuse or neglect, these findings about trauma also indicate some of the underlying causes in the Foster-Care-to-Prison Pipeline. To better illustrate the impact of this systemic injustice on individuals, we collected personal statements and vignettes from persons impacted by this discrimination. One contributor's words about these systems that work against our youth captured the injustice of it all very incisively: "... you feel like you're being punished when you haven't committed any crime." Conclusion This systemic violation of the rights of people with non-disabilities, not only impacts the individuals funneled into the to-Prison Pipelines, but disrupts and harms communities by having the stress and discrimination and incarceration burdening and separating families. The long-term consequences of incarceration are devastating given the high recidivism rate (almost 50%) and the lack of supports in place to re-integrate people, especially people with non-apparent disabilities, back into the community. Finally, this system of discrimination also hurts the wider community and tax payers given that it costs more than $140,000 a year to incarcerate a young person, and only about $10,000 to educate them. Therefore every one of us is impacted by this injustice in our communities and we must put an end to it. Disrupting the to-Prison Pipelines with more sensible school discipline policies, greater awareness raising, more support for trauma-survivors, more wide-spread testing for non-apparent disabilities, better supports and education of teachers and school resource officers are among the first steps we can and must take now. Details: Boston: Ruderman Family Foundation, 2017. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed April 28, 2018 at: http://rudermanfoundation.org/white_papers/criminalization-of-children-with-non-apparent-disabilities/ Year: 2017 Country: United States URL: http://rudermanfoundation.org/white_papers/criminalization-of-children-with-non-apparent-disabilities/ Shelf Number: 149863 Keywords: DisabilitiesDisabled PersonsSchool SuspensionsSchool-to-Prison-PipelineZero Tolerance Policies |
Author: Data Collaborative for Justice Title: Tracking Suspensions in New York City Public Schools, 2006 to 2017 Summary: his report examines trends in the number and rate of suspensions from 2006-07 to 2016-17. Further, for the 2016-17 school year, this report assesses: (1) the use of multiple suspensions for individual students; (2) the number of suspensions by conduct/behavior; (3) the average number of days per suspension by conduct/behavior; and (4) how disciplinary actions vary in response to similar conduct/behaviors. The report disaggregates analyses by grade, race and ethnicity, and disability status. Key Findings from the Report include: Suspension Rates Overall: While suspensions on the whole fluctuated, and ultimately declined by 39.4 percent, over the study period (2006-07 through 2016-17 school years), the timing and magnitude of the changes varied by grade, race and ethnicity, and disability status. Suspension Rates by Grade: There was a sharper decline in suspension rates for middle school students (~50% decline across grades 6 through 8) than for high school students (approximately ~20% across grades 9 through 12). Suspension Rates and Race: Over the course of the study period, Black students consistently had the highest suspension rates, followed by Hispanic, White, and Asian students in middle and high school. While students of all racial/ethnic groups experienced declines in rates of suspension, White students experienced the greatest decline (~42% decline) compared to Black (~33% decline), Hispanic (~37% decline) and Asian students (~31%). In 2016-17, the suspension rate for Black students in middle and high school was 2.8 times the rate for White students. In 2016-17, Black students were more likely to have multiple suspensions and were more likely to receive more serious and longer suspensions for aggressive and injurious/harmful behaviors. Suspension Rates and Disability Status: Over the course of the study period, students with a disability status (i.e., students with an Individualized Education Plan or "IEP") and students without disability status experienced declines in rates of suspension - ~40% and ~45% respectively. Nonetheless, students with a disability status were consistently suspended at higher rates compared to students without a disability status. In 2016-17, the suspension rate for students with a disability was 2.1 times higher than for students without a disability in middle and high school. In 2016-17, students with a disability status were more likely to have multiple suspensions and longer suspensions compared to students without a disability status in middle and high school. Details: New York: The Author, 2019. 67p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 20, 2019 at: http://datacollaborativeforjustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/tracking_suspensions_report.pdf Year: 2019 Country: United States URL: http://datacollaborativeforjustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/tracking_suspensions_report.pdf Shelf Number: 155062 Keywords: DisabilitiesDisabled Persons Educational Programs Racial Disparities School Crime School Discipline School Suspensions |
Author: Worwood, Erin B. Title: Statewide Evaluation of Utah Mental Health Courts: Phase I Summary: This report provides details on the programs, participants, eligibility criteria, and methods/outcomes used to study 43 MHCs across the United States, Australia, and Canada. It also describes the program components, target populations, and available data for the nine MHCs in Utah. Both the Utah MHCs and the studies included in this review reflect significant heterogeneity in terms of program and study components. Unfortunately, these differences limit the generalizability of findings across programs. Nevertheless, this report provides a detailed cataloguing of methods used to evaluate the impact of MHCs and can be used to inform discussions as a statewide evaluation plan is finalized. Details: Salt Lake City, Utah: University of Utah, Utah Criminal Justice Center and College of Social Work, 2015. 59p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed June 7, 2019 at: https://socialwork.utah.edu/_resources/documents/ucjc-reports/statewide-ut-mhc-study_part-1-report.pdf Year: 2015 Country: International URL: https://socialwork.utah.edu/research/reports/posts/statewide-mental-health-court-study/index.php Shelf Number: 156208 Keywords: Disabilities Human Rights Jails Mental Health Courts Mental Hospitals Mental Illness Prison Reentry |