Crimes against People with Disabilities

Did You Know?

In 2013, 24% of violent crime victims with 

disabilities believed they were targeted due to 

their disability, a 13% increase from 2009.B 

The National Crime Victimization Survey

first included questions about disability 

victimization in 2009.

B 

1 in 5 adults has a disability.C

People with multiple disabilities are more 

frequently victims of rape and sexual assault 

compared to victims with only one form of 

disability. In 2013, 68% of rape/sexual assault 

victims had multiple types of disability.

B

Individuals with disabilities are particularly vulnerable to crime for a wide variety of reasons, including, but not limited 

to, reliance on caregivers, limited transportation options, and isolation from the community. In addition, while people 

with disabilities often experience the same types of intimate partner violence as people without disabilities, they also 

experience unique forms of violence, such as denial of care or assistance, destruction of medical equipment, and manipulation of medications.A These vulnerabilities not only increase opportunities for abuse and neglect, but they also make 

reporting victimization more difficult for victims. 

Trends

Since 2009, the rate of violent victimization has increased almost 25% among individuals with disabilities, from about 29 

per 1,000 people with disabilities to 36 per 1,000. Comparatively, the rate of violent victimization among individuals without 

disabilities has increased by less than 1%. In 2013, the rate of violent victimization—including rape/sexual assault, robbery, 

and aggravated assault—among individuals with disabilities was more than 2x that of individuals without disabilities.B

* 

2017 National Crime Victims’ Rights Week Resource Guide: Crime and Victimization Fact Sheets

Simple Assault by Disability TypeB

rate per 1,000 people

Cognitive

Vision

Hearing

Independent living

Self-care

Ambulatory

41.6

9.4

14.4

18.2

50

17.8

8.5

16.7

18.8

17.6

20.0

33.5

2009 2010 2011 2013

14.2

2012

0

10

20

30

40

50

Violent VictimizationB

rate per 1,000 people

Individuals with a disability

Individuals without a disability

13.6

50

28.9

2009 2010 2011 2012 2013

13.7

36.0

0

10

20

30

40

50

Serious Violent Victimization by Disability TypeB*

rate per 1,000 people 

Cognitive

Vision

Hearing

Independent living

Self-care

Ambulatory

25.1

7.3

3.9

6.1

50

11.9

8.4

9.3

13.6

14.7

12.0

12.4

2009 2010 2011 2013

6.2

2012

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

50

*Violent victimization encompasses rape, sexual assault, robbery, aggravated assault, and simple assault. Serious violent victimization excludes simple assault.

Among crime victims with disabilities, the rate of violent 

victimization of individuals with cognitive disabilities is 67 per 1,000 

individuals, more than 2x the rate of individuals with other types of 

disabilities.B
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-

2013 Statistical Tables, (U.S. Department of Justice, 2015), https://www.bjs.

gov/content/pub/pdf/capd0913st.pdf 

C Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Disability & Health Data System, 2014, https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/disabilityandhealth/dhds.html

D Children’s Bureau, Child Maltreatment 2013, (U.S. Department of Health 

& Human Services, 2015), https://www.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/cb/

cm2013.pdf

In 2013, 96% of individuals with a disability who were 

victims of violent crime could identify their perpetrator. Of 

those, 41% were victimized by an acquaintance, 31% were 

victimized by a stranger, and 15% were victimized by an 

intimate partner. An acquaintance is defined as someone 

who was well or casually known to the victim, including 

caregivers.B

In 2013, 12.6% of children who were abused or neglected

had a disability. Of those, children with behavioral problems 

were most frequently victimized (24%), followed by children 

with emotional disturbance (19%). One-third had an unlisted 

medical condition.D

In 2013, individuals with a disability reported violent 

victimization to the police 48% of the time, compared 

to individuals without a disability who reported their 

victimization to the police 44% of the time. The majority of 

crimes reported to the police were reported by the victim.

B

Current Data on Crimes against People with Disabilities

In 2013, victims with and without disabilities reported 

similar reasons for not reporting the crime to the police: 

the most commonly stated reason was because the victim 

dealt with the crime a different way. Other reasons included 

believing insurance wouldn’t cover costs related to the crime, 

thinking the police wouldn’t be able to help, not wanting the 

offender to get in trouble, and fear of reprisal.B

In 2013, individuals with a disability were slightly more likely 

to receive assistance from victim service agencies compared 

to individuals without a disability. Overall, only a small 

percentage of violent crime victims receive victim services.B

Violent Crime Reported to PoliceB

by disability status

Multiple disabilities 49

Single disability 46

No disability 44

100%

Victims Who Receive ServicesB

by disability status

With disability

8.0

12.2

Without disability

15%

Aquaintance (41%)

Stranger (31%)

Intimate partner (15%)

Other relative (9%)

Unknown (4%)

Victim Relationship to OffenderB

Relationship to Offender

Other medical condition (33%)

Behavioral problem (24%)

Emotional disturbance (19%)

Learning disability (9%)

Visually or hearing impaired (6%)

Physical disability (5%)

Intellectual disability (4%)

Child Victims of Abuse and NeglectD

by disability type

Reasons for Not Reporting Crime to PoliceB

Dealt with 

another way

Not important 

enough to 

respondent

Victims with a disability

Victims without a disability

44

21

41

24

50%

Police 

wouldn’t help

Other 

reason

20 20

38

35