Vulnerability Trail News

Vulnerability Trail Update February, 2012

Issues Related to Crime Victimization and People with Developmental Disabilities

In This Issue

Opportunities

Resources

Articles

Quick Links

Last Month's Vtrail Update

More About The Arc of Aurora

Our Mission

The Arc of Aurora (CO) advocates for and with people with intellectual and/or other developmental disabilities and their families through individual and systems change advocacy, training and education, and individual, family and class support.

Greetings -

You are probably on this listserv because you know that while upwards of 80% of women and 32% of men with developmental disabilities will be victims of sexual violence, prosecutors report less than 1% of their sexual assault cases involve victims with developmental disabilities. Too, you probably know that this unseemly disparity often exists because of the perceived lack of credibility of the victim with developmental disabilities, and that this perceived lack of credibility is most often directly related to how the victim with developmental disabilities communicates.

Enter a Hearsay Exemption from Persons with Developmental Disabilities. In this current Legislative session, Colorado is looking to join 7 other states (CA, FL, IL, OH, OR, SD, VT) in offering an exemption to hearsay for victims of crime who have developmental disabilities.

What difference would such an exemption make? Such an exemption would allow for the communication between a victim with developmental disabilities and a person familiar with the victim's language and terminology that occurs after victimization to be considered as admissible in court with the ultimate goal of increased and successful prosecution of the crime.

FOR VTRAILers LIVING IN COLORADO: learn more about this bill: Read the legislation. Download and distribute a Fact Sheet on HB12-1085. Ask the House Judiciary Committee members to support the bill. Individuals and organizations that support the bill include the Colorado District Attorneys' Council, Representative Gwyn Green (Ex Officio), Dr. Margaret Charleton, Gerri Frohne, Councilwoman Molly Markert, Alliance, Colorado Coalition Against Sexual Assault, Colorado Cross Disability Coalition, Parent to Parent, SungateKids Children's Advocacy Center, and The Arcs in Colorado.

FOR VTRAILers LIVING IN ONE OF THE 42 STATES WHO DO NOT HAVE SUCH AN EXEMPTION: consider working to provide one.

FOR VTRAILers IN THE 7 STATES THAT HAVE SUCH AN EXEMPTION: will you offer to serve as a resource for those in other states? Let me know and I will include your contact info in next month's VTrail Update.

FOR ANY VTRAILer INTERESTED: contact The Arc of Aurora Executive Director Darla Stuart (dsarcaurora@aol.com or 720.213.1420) to discuss Colorado HB12-1085 or how to encourage such a policy discussion in your state.

Austrian sculptor Paul von Ringelheim said, "Leadership is the ability to do, not the ability to state." Let us know how we can help you DO!

Jean Solis

VTrail Update editor

The Arc of Aurora (CO)

Opportunities

2012 National Organization for Victim Assistance (NOVA) Conference
The National Organization for Victim Assistance announces that registration is open for the 38th NOVA Conference, "Victim Services: Your Right! Our Responsibility!" August 19-22, 2012. The Conference is hosted at the Sheraton San Diego Hotel and Marina, and the Conference Task Force is currently calling for presentations.

Courses Available for Criminal Justice Professionals

The National Institute of Justice (NIJ) sponsors a variety of courses (both online and in a classroom) for criminal justice professionals. Topics include forensic DNA/biology, sexual assault forensic examination, and missing persons investigation. View the full list of available courses at NIJ's Training Web page.

Resources

The Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) is a partnership between the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the National White Collar Crime Center (NW3C), funded in part by the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA). The IC3 accepts online Internet crime complaints from either the actual victim or from a third party to the complainant. It can best process your complaint if it receives accurate and complete information. You may file a complaint online.

The Office of Justice Programs' CrimeSolutions.gov uses rigorous research to determine what works in criminal justice, juvenile justice, and crime victim services. On CrimeSolutions.gov you will find research on program effectiveness reviewed and rated by Expert Reviewers and easily understandable ratings based on the evidence that indicates whether a program achieves its goals.

2012 National Crime Victims' Rights' Week (NCVRW) Online Resource Guide

The Guide includes materials to facilitate hosting and promoting National Crime Victims' Rights Week (April 22-28) in your community in a user-friendly package. This year's theme -- Extending the Vision: Reaching Every Victim -- is a call to action to revisit, revive, and expand the vision of the crime victims' movement to reach all victims, including victims of new crime types resulting from changes in technology, globalization, and demographics in our society.

Articles

Plea Deal Reached in Nursing Home Abuse Case

A former nursing home employee was able to reach a plea bargain, agreeing to 3 years of probation and pleading guilty to neglecting a dependent adult under circumstances likely to produce great bodily harm. The man was originally charged with a lewd act on a dependent adult, felony sexual battery on an institutionalized victim, and misdemeanor abuse of a dependent adult. CALIFORNIA (Santa Barbara), The Independent, February 7, 2012

Georgia school found liable for disability-abuse by teacher

An administrative law judge filed a decision yesterday finding the Fulton County School District liable for repeated physical, verbal, and emotional abuse committed by a special education teacher against students with developmental disabilities. The decision followed administrative trial arising out of a complaint filed by a parent (on behalf of her child) alleging abuse by the teacher, knowledge of the abuse by administrators, and a cover-up of the situation by the school district. For a copy of the full decision, and quotes from various portions of it, click here. --- February 2, 2012 (GEORGIA)

Teacher Suspected of Abusing Students Surrenders

Redwood City police obtained an arrest warrant on Wednesday for Alexia Aliki Bogdis, 44, of Millbrae, who taught developmentally disabled or autistic children at Roosevelt Elementary School. --- KGO-TV --- February 4, 2012 (CALIFORNIA) http://is.gd/RZuysB

Three Women Indicted in Scheme to Steal Identities of Mentally Disabled People

Three Dayton women are accused of stealing the identities of more than 30 people, most of them mentally disabled, then filing fraudulent income tax returns claiming about $1,700,00 in refunds ... --- Dayton Daily News --- January 27, 2012 (OHIO) http://is.gd/Eb2S6t

Man Charged with Sexually Assaulting Mentally Challenged Teen

On January 26, the Calcasieu Parish Sheriff's Office received a complaint regarding the sexual assault of a 19 year old mentally handicapped girl. --- KFDM-TV News --- January 27, 2012 (LOUISIANA) http://is.gd/a1aZNf

Attorney General Bondi Announces the Arrest of a Columbia County Woman for Abuse of a Disabled Adult

Attorney General Pam Bondi announced that a Columbia County woman is in custody after being charged with six counts of abuse of a disabled adult. Pamela R Taylor, 48, of Lake City, was arrested on Monday, on a felony warrant by the Attorney General's Medicaid Fraud Control Unit. Taylor is charged with six counts of abuse of a disabled adult, a third-degree felony. If convicted, she faces up to 30 years in prison and a $30,000 fine. (FLORIDA)

Prosecutors: Woman Raped Developmentally Disabled Teen

Prosecutors in Pulaski County say a 22-year-old woman is responsible for raping a teenager who's developmentally disabled. --- KTTS --- January 22, 2012 (MISSOURI) http://is.gd/U8opCS

Tulsan Accused of Abusing Daughter Sentenced to 40 Years

Ariyana, who turns 2 in February, is "blind because of the abuse" and is unable to walk or talk, says an assistant district attorney. --- Tulsa World --- January 21, 2012 (OKLAHOMA) http://is.gd/tJR7b6

Man, 71, Accused of Raping Girl, 15

A Butler County man is accused of raping a 15-year-old mentally challenged girl during a five-month period last year. --- Tarentum Valley News Dispatch --- January 21, 2012 (PENNSYLVANIA) http://is.gd/Yiifzc

Autistic Sixth-grader Suffers Videotaped Beating at a Bus Stop in Cecil County

Disturbing video has surfaced of a autistic boy in Cecil County who is punched by another boy while other children watch. The victim, Kaleb Kula, is a sixth-grader at Elkton Middle School. --- ABC2 News --- January 19, 2012 (MARYLAND) http://is.gd/qyDbHG

Cops: Monroeville Man Rapes Challenged Woman

A previously accused Monroeville man faces new charges of raping a mentally challenged woman. The woman told police that 23-year-old Alex Pimpinella contacted her on MySpace and later forced her to have sex with him at least twice over... --- WTAE Pittsburgh --- January 18, 2012 (PENNSYLVANIA) http://is.gd/cvZ1zb

Man Charged with Rape, Sex Assault

A man from Lycoming County faces charges he sexually assaulted a mentally challenged woman for years. Kerry Horn, 30, of Cogan Station was arrested Wednesday. --- WNEP-TV --- January 17, 2012 (PENNSYLVANIA) http://is.gd/w3xW6T

(Note: Many of these articles come from the newsfeed summary from the Disability and Abuse Project of SPECTRUM INSTITUTE; thank you, Dr. Nora Baladerian!)

The Arc of Aurora

1342 South Chambers Road

Aurora, CO 80017

720.213.1420