The mentally disabled
Throughout history the rate of crimes have increased and decreased as time moves on. In the past twenty years there has been a decrease in the amount of crimes occurring in the United States. With new legislations and the development of technology, the government has found an easier way to cut down crime rates and bring justice to the people. Although crime rates have been decreasing the amount of people being victimized still remains high. Victimization is defined as becoming a victim of a crime. In the year 2014 5.4 billion people over the age of 12 were victimized, out of those 5.4 billion about sixty percent were mentally disabled (U.S. Department of Justice, 2010). A mentally disabled person is a person who a clinically …show more content…
Doctors use this as a form of therapy and medication to try and have the patients feel like they are living a pretty normal life. While repeating activities everyday at the same time and doing the same thing all the time anywhere you go is another factor to increase victimization. In criminology the concept of the repetition of daily actives is called routine activities theory. This theory was presented into criminology to explain how an everyday lifestyle can cause behavior to change and even cause a person to become a victim of a crime. As the mentally disabled are required to repeat daily activities, they are more likely to become victims of routine activities theory because it would not take another person a long time to learn the behavior of the individual. This theory also presents to others how easy it can be to become a victim of a …show more content…
In situations where a family member becomes a victim of a crime, family members are considered derivative victims. A derivative victim is a victim who is indirectly affected by a crime. Family members of people with mental disabilities are usually the ones who are around trying to help make their loves life as normal as possible. Currently the United States is working on legislations to help prevent the victimization of the mentally disabled. In the 1950’s the United States began to implement policies of deinstitutionalization of the mentally disabled. The American with Disabilities Act (ADA) was also created to protect the rights of the people with disabilities in the United States. Although this act works for the protection of anyone in the United States with disabilities they have specific criteria for a person with mental disabilities. A person with a mental disability under the ADA must fit into one of three criteria’s “ A physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities, a record of such impairment and being regarded as having such impairment.” If a person doesn’t meet one of these criteria’s they are not protect under the ADA. Society as a whole has been working on helping individuals fight for the rights but lacks ways of teaching the community of what ways they can be helped under the law (Women’s health, 2010).
Throughout history the rate of crimes have increased and decreased as time moves on. In the past twenty years there has been a decrease in the amount of crimes occurring in the United States. With new legislations and the development of technology, the government has found an easier way to cut down crime rates and bring justice to the people. Although crime rates have been decreasing the amount of people being victimized still remains high. Victimization is defined as becoming a victim of a crime. In the year 2014 5.4 billion people over the age of 12 were victimized, out of those 5.4 billion about sixty percent were mentally disabled (U.S. Department of Justice, 2010). A mentally disabled person is a person who a clinically …show more content…
Doctors use this as a form of therapy and medication to try and have the patients feel like they are living a pretty normal life. While repeating activities everyday at the same time and doing the same thing all the time anywhere you go is another factor to increase victimization. In criminology the concept of the repetition of daily actives is called routine activities theory. This theory was presented into criminology to explain how an everyday lifestyle can cause behavior to change and even cause a person to become a victim of a crime. As the mentally disabled are required to repeat daily activities, they are more likely to become victims of routine activities theory because it would not take another person a long time to learn the behavior of the individual. This theory also presents to others how easy it can be to become a victim of a …show more content…
In situations where a family member becomes a victim of a crime, family members are considered derivative victims. A derivative victim is a victim who is indirectly affected by a crime. Family members of people with mental disabilities are usually the ones who are around trying to help make their loves life as normal as possible. Currently the United States is working on legislations to help prevent the victimization of the mentally disabled. In the 1950’s the United States began to implement policies of deinstitutionalization of the mentally disabled. The American with Disabilities Act (ADA) was also created to protect the rights of the people with disabilities in the United States. Although this act works for the protection of anyone in the United States with disabilities they have specific criteria for a person with mental disabilities. A person with a mental disability under the ADA must fit into one of three criteria’s “ A physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities, a record of such impairment and being regarded as having such impairment.” If a person doesn’t meet one of these criteria’s they are not protect under the ADA. Society as a whole has been working on helping individuals fight for the rights but lacks ways of teaching the community of what ways they can be helped under the law (Women’s health, 2010).