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Essay on Domestic Violence Against People with Mental Retardation
The purpose of this paper is to illustrate the domestic violence against people with mental retardation, the risk factors involved along with the preventive measures that can be taken to stop this violence. This paper is written in APA format withCrime in the United States is decreasing and is now at its lowest level since 1973. Despite this trend, Americans with developmental disabilities have not experienced greater safety.
In fact, recent research and the anecdotal experience of those who work with persons with disabilities suggest that this population is experiencing a heightened risk of becoming victims of violence and abuse. One recent study found that more than 70 percent of women with developmental disabilities are sexually assaulted in their lifetime, which represents a 50 percent higher rate than the rest of the population.
Generally speaking, a person with developmental disabilities is anyone who has a mental impairment that manifested itself before the person attained age twenty-two, is likely to continue indefinitely, and results in substantial functional limitations in three or more major life activities.
The major categories of developmental disabilities are autism, cerebral palsy, epilepsy, and mental retardation. Such persons are also referred to as "mentally retarded," "intellectually handicapped," "developmentally delayed," or "severely learning disabled." They are estimated to make up 3 to 5 percent of the U.S. population (La Plante and Carlson 1996).
Domestic Violence against people with mental retardation
While the scientific evidence is scanty, it is important and consistent. Studies from the U.S., Canada, Australia, and Great Britain consistently confirm high rates of violence and abuse in the lives of persons with disabilities. Sobsey and his colleagues reviewed the available literature and concluded that the best conservative estimate is that people with developmental disabilities are four to ten times more likely to be victims of crimes.....
