Disability and Victimization: An Examination of Risk within U.S. State Correctional Facilities

• In Event: Victimization Behind Bars: Exploring the Victim-Offender Overlap and Mental Illness in Incarcerated Populations

Abstract

Current estimates indicate that 15-19 percent of the world’s population possess some form of disability (Emerson & Roulstone, 2015). Moreover, a considerable percentage of the disabled are currently inmates within correctional facilities (Fazel et al., 2008). Given the higher odds of victimization associated with this group (Hughes et al., 2012), victimization risk within the prison system has been widely overlooked for this population. Although variation in risk has been documented for different forms of disability (Turner et al., 2011), this phenomenon has also been neglected within the prison victimization literature. Using data from the Survey of Inmates in State and Federal Correctional Facilities (SISFCF), this study aimed to examine the variation in victimization risk for the disabled as compared to their non-disabled counterparts and whether this risk differs across disability status. Secondary analysis demonstrates a substantial increase in the odds of victimization for individuals with disability and this risk varies across the vision impaired and those with learning disabilities. Implications from this research suggest that there may be specific factors associated with the disabled that may further increase their risk for victimization within the prison system.

Authors

• Taylor Gann, Georiga State University

• Brent Teasdale, Georgia State University