Guide for Journalists Who Report on Crime and Crime Victims from the US Dept of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Office for Victims of Crime

This guide assists journalists in performing their unique role in providing information to the public on ways in which crime and criminal victimization are addressed in the United States. In addition, this guide provides current, complete, and specific information and advice to journalists about their reporting on victims and witnesses, as well as their families and friends. It also explains the role of victim advocates and service providers, along with ways that journalists can work with them to meet victims' needs.

     The first of 12 chapters in the guide outlines responsibilities of journalists in handling breaking new stories. The tasks addressed are asking for the interview, dealing with logistics, and conducting the interview. The intent of this and other chapters in the guide is to facilitate sensitive and respectful reporting that involves crime victims. Another chapter instructs journalists in their covering of victims of specific crime types, namely, homicide, sexual assault and rape, domestic violence, drunk driving, and vulnerable populations (children and the elderly). Guidelines for feature stories are addressed in another chapter. Other chapters provide practical guidance for handling high-impact stories, working with victim service providers, creating ethics polices, victims' right to privacy, "self-care" for journalists, and resources and promising practices. A chapter on "special challenges in reporting" elaborates on the following statements: "Victims should expect multimedia coverage;" "There are no more local-only stories;" "Print reporters shooting video need training on victim issues;" "Citizen journalists need information on victim issues;" "Online articles and mistakes can live forever;" and "News organizations need victim input in decisions on citizen comments." 

News Media Guide for Victim Service Providers from the US Dept of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Office for Victims of Crime

This instructional guide addresses how victim advocates can facilitate sensitive and respectful treatment of crime victims by the news media, advocate for crime victims in the media, serve as victim liaisons to media professionals, and build positive relations with the news media. The first 13 chapters provide guidance to victim advocates on facilitating media's sensitive and respectful treatment of crime victims. The chapters instruct victim advocates on the importance of publicly advocating for responsible, sensible media coverage of issues related to criminal victimization, which includes serving as a source for timely, relevant, and accurate data about crime and victimization.

     Among the topics considered in the first 13 chapters are educating the media about victims' rights as well as relevant trends and data; media codes of ethics; the benefits and risks of crime victims speaking to the media about their victimization; types of news stories; major concerns of coverage; the role of victim service providers in guiding victims on interaction with the media; and victim referrals to the media. The next 12 chapters focus on how victim advocates can build positive relations with the news media. A chapter on types of news media covers both print media and broadcast mean. Another chapter describes nine "building blocks" for victim-advocate organizations in the development of a positive and effective interaction with media organizations and individual reporters.

     Practical guidance is provided on media interviews, press releases, editors' advisories, public service announcements, letters to the editor, press conferences, Internet strategies, talk shows, and development of a media plan. Appendixes contain promising practices, a media contact form, a glossary of terms, and endnotes. 

Voices Ignored: Sexual Assault of People With Developmental Disabilities, Facilitator Manual from the US Dept of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Office for Victims of Crime

This is a training and outreach package designed to assist law enforcement officers and victim advocates in responding effectively to people with developmental disabilities who have been sexually assaulted. People with developmental disabilities may have impaired communication skills that make them particularly vulnerable to sexual manipulation and "grooming" that leads to sexual assault. The victimization consequences are as severe as those for sexual assault victims without disabilities. In some cases, the victimization effects are worse because victims with developmental disabilities may have difficulty understanding their feelings and thoughts about what has happened to them and how to cope with the aftermath.

     This training package has four objectives: to raise first-responders' awareness of the high incidence and severity of sexual assault of people with developmental disabilities; to clarify the dynamics of sexual assault of people with developmental disabilities; to give trainees information and skills that will enable them to respond appropriately to such victims; and to provide a resource kit and a community outreach kit that helps first-responders to learn and provide training in the handling of such cases.

     This curriculum provides material for 3.5 hours of training. The curriculum's five modules present an overview of the material, followed by training sessions that address developmental disabilities and sexual assault, first response, guidelines for effective communication, and resources for responding effectively to victim needs and the investigation of such cases.

     The training package includes a video, a companion discussion guide, and a CD-ROM presentation that can be used for independent study. These components may be used separately or together. 

Stay Current With Your Training

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Articles

Lake City woman, man accused of abusing her disabled son 

The mother of a disabled Lake City man and her boyfriend were arrested Tuesday on charges of aggravated abuse of a disabled person. They are accused for keeping the man outside of his home during the day and not feeding him, ...  (FLORIDA)

Driver accused of groping disabled passenger

A woman who has Down syndrome told police that a driver for Para Transpo asked her to have sex on one occasion when he drove her home, then tried to kiss her and groped her on another occasion.(CANADA)

Teen Banned from School Bus for Defending Bullied Special Needs Kid

For months, Rich watched as they treated a mentally challenged middle school girl cruelly, telling her she couldn't sit in certain spots and feeding her food they had put in their mouths. "Just because she doesn't understand doesn't mean that should be ... --- The Stir --- May 29, 2012 (NEW YORK) http://is.gd/ihOQLr

Offender stayed in care facility after admitting sex

In October 2010, convicted sex offender Adam Woods told state corrections officials he had been violating the terms of his parole by having sex with two fellow residents at an Oskaloosa home for the mentally disabled. Corrections officials didn't send Woods back to prison for violating his parole. Instead, they let him remain at the Country Life Care Facility for the next 13 months, during which time he allegedly had sex with a third resident of the home inside a barn near the facility.  (IOWA) Des Moines Register, May 27, 2012

Mom Convicted of Drowning Disabled Son 

A Paradise Valley woman has been convicted of negligent homicide and child abuse in the 2009 drowning of her mentally disabled son. Maricopa County prosecutors say 45-year-old Nadia Bashir faces anywhere from probation to nearly four ... --- KFYI --- May 23, 2012 (ARIZONA) http://is.gd/9XT3JY

Care home worker pinned severely disabled woman against a wall ...

Ann Leach, 48, and Joanne Robinson, 47, abused residents at a home in Farnworth run by Bolton Council for more than two years as other staff ... (UK - abuse and neglect is not a problem confined to the United States...)

Ex-Marine Torturer Gets Life for 'Violent and Sadistic' Attack on Disabled Man

A 25-year-old former Marine from Georgia who was convicted this week of torturing a physically disabled New Smyrna Beach man during a home invasion was sentenced to life in prison. Montario L. Royals was convicted ... --- Orlando Sentinel --- March 23, 2012 (FLORIDA) http://is.gd/TigOMj

Man Pleads Guilty to Exploiting Mentally Disabled 'Friend'  

Prosecutors said Eugene Hinson stole more than $250,000 from a mentally disabled man. Patch A former Odenton resident will serve 18 months in jail after pleading guilty to charges that he took advantage of a mentally disabled man from Glen ... --- Patch.com --- May 24, 2012 (MARYLAND) http://is.gd/2BJcZY

Physical Therapist Accused of Sexually Abusing Disabled Student

Marshall police said Change abused a student at Prairie View State School Monday - a state-run school for severely disabled students. Court documents show Chang was alone in a room with the victim when a teaching assistant walked in to see Chang ... --- KCTV Kansas City --- May 22, 2012 (MISSOURI) http://is.gd/UfhGkC

Valerie Huttle's Committee Investigates the Abuse of Disabled Adults

The Assembly Committee on Human Resources held a hearing on the abuse and neglect of adults with developmental disabilities in New Jersey's community care residences and other facilities. --- newjerseynewsroom.com --- May 22, 2012 (NEW JERSEY) http://is.gd/PfMTAf

Brother of 'Caged' Wash. Boys Takes Stand

The 10-year-old boy - essentially a half-brother to two young boys believed to be autistic and kept behind locked metal shelving units - took the stand in Clark County court Wednesday. The 10-year-old brother of two autistic boys, ... --- KOIN Local 6 --- May 23, 2012 (WASHINGTON) http://is.gd/LlI3X0

Files Show How Golatt Was Able to Abuse Victims for Years While Holding Positions of Trust

There also were victims in Idaho, where Golatt lived with his new wife in 2006 and worked in a facility for the mentally retarded. "He was going after anyone he could find that was vulnerable," Willson said. Looking over the years a pattern emerges. --- Alexandria Town Talk --- May 20, 2012 (LOUISIANA) http://is.gd/lFrS5O

Study Finds Medical Procedures Violating the Civil Rights of People with Disabilities

Washington, DC - In a first of its kind study, the National Disability Rights Network (NDRN) determined that performing certain medical procedures or withholding life sustaining treatment in non-terminal situations without judicial review violates the civil rights of people with disabilities. The initial catalyst for the report is the so-called Ashley Treatment which received worldwide attention 5 years ago. Ashley was a six-year-old child with developmental and physical disabilities whose growth was stopped through estrogen treatments and whose uterus and breast buds were removed. The intent of this treatment was to keep her permanently small and child-like. NDRN believes this practice is spreading worldwide. "The thought of doctors and guardians, together, deciding to remove the body parts and stunt the growth of a child based on assumptions about their awareness and quality of life is shocking and disgusting," said NDRN's executive director, Curt Decker   Further investigations by the nation's federally mandated Protection and Advocacy agencies, which NDRN represents in Washington, DC, have uncovered other cases in which medical treatment and even basic food and water are being denied to individuals with disabilities during minor illnesses with the intent of letting the illness progress until death. "In one case, the parents of a 13-year-old boy with a developmental disability refused to allow him access to antibiotics so that the cold he had would progress to pneumonia. They got their wish and the boy died," said Decker. "Every person is born with civil and human rights and an inherent dignity," continued Decker. "The reality that this is happening in the United States is anathema to the core values that we as Americans say we hold. That it is happening to those unable to use their own voice is even worse. This report is meant to start the conversation about how society can and should make medical decisions that uphold the constitutional rights of all people with disabilities." The report, Devaluing People with Disabilities: Medical Procedures that Violate Civil Rights, puts individuals with disabilities at the center of discourse. It reviews the facts of Ashley X, as a case study and presents a continuum of similar experiences and treatment of individuals with disabilities within a context of medical decision making that devalues them as people and discriminates against them based on their disability. The report explores the conflict of interest that medical decision making may present between a parent and their child. It describes the vital role that the legal and judicial systems have in ensuring that the civil and human rights of individuals with disabilities are protected regardless of their severity and in contrast to opinions regularly expressed in the medical and ethics community.  Finally, the report presents a series of recommendations for how the legal and medical systems at a local, state and national level, including protection and advocacy agencies, ethics committees, institutional review boards, and the courts can perform critical "watch-dog" functions to ensure that the human and civil rights of persons with disabilities are protected.  Read the full report. Download the executive summary and recommendations.  View the report webpage.

Husband in Case of Missing Wife Leads Police to Body

Police said the woman disappeared after threatening to expose a fraud scheme in which her husband was accused of stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from a developmentally disabled man who inherited millions from his parents. --- The Republic --- March 16, 2012 (ALASKA) http://is.gd/tOa3Oq

Social Worker Charged with Sexually Assaulting Student with Special Needs

A Social Worker at a public school in Vineland has been arrested and charged with sexually assaulting a student with special needs. Stacy Johnson, 44, of Bridgeton, was arrested Tuesday on charges she engaged in sexual intercourse multiple times with a ... --- NBC40 --- May 2, 2012 (COLORADO) http://is.gd/KmpPkg

Disabled Woman Starved, Tortured, Beaten, State Attorney's Office Says

The State Attorney's Office filed new charges against three people Friday accusing them of beating, starving and torturing a disabled woman in their care. Escambia County deputies found a 21-year-old woman handcuffed, bleeding from the mouth and ... --- Pensacola Business Journal --- May 18, 2012 (FLORIDA) http://is.gd/ld0yGE

Judge Will Announce Verdict Tuesday for Laclede County Couple Charged in the ...

The fate of a Laclede County couple charged with the death of a handicapped teen will be announced on Tuesday. Judge Kenneth Hayden is expected to announce his verdict tomorrow in the involuntary manslaughter trial of Ronda and Robert Shrout. --- KSPR --- May 14, 2012 (MISSOURI) http://is.gd/tnrKDL

Disabled Boy Put in Box in Class, Mom Says

A North Carolina mother says her disabled son was put in a cardboard box by one of his teachers as punishment for acting out in class. Joy Amatuccio's son Jacob is mentally and physically disabled after a traumatic brain ... --- UPI.com --- May 17, 2012 (NORTH CAROLINA) http://is.gd/zHhvna

Pushing Media Forward: Getting Real with Disability Portrayal (this is an anti-abuse story about depicting women with disabilities in an abled light)

Beyond Chron

The history of disability depiction in the media is a terribly sorry one. There is real hope that this is about to change with the premier of Push Girls this week on The Sundance Channel, riding along in the lives of four vibrant women who ...

Mom Gets 9 Years in Ohio Teen's Malnutrition Death

The mother of a 14-year-old girl who had cerebral palsy and weighed 28 pounds when she died of what authorities called nutritional and medical neglect is going to prison for nine years. --- Dayton Daily News --- May 18, 2012 (OHIO) http://is.gd/f3nzSG

Vulnerable Adult Abuse Often Goes Undetected

The arrest of two Charles Lea Center employees for allegedly abusing a vulnerable adult by leaving a 39-year-old woman to lie in her own feces for 20 hours over the Easter weekend is just part of a larger pattern of abuse and neglect ... --- Journal Watchdog --- May 18, 2012 (SOUTH CAROLINA) http://is.gd/UTsuYd

Parents of special needs students say school district covered up abuse

5/15/2012 By Julie Peterson, CNN

Shayne Lee, mother of Garrett: "You can't imagine how gut-wrenching it is, to know what's happened. And you kept sending them back, day after day, sending them back." Each parent we spoke with says they now understand why their children regressed at the time they were in Pickens' class. Lisa Williams, mother of Alex: "They all regressed in potty-training, they all started isolating themselves in their rooms." Doug Williams, the pediatrician and Alex's father, says "I thought he had something medically going on. And we kept searching for it. And unfortunately we found it was the abuse and the PTSD that was really causing all his regression and his symptoms." Shayne Lee, mother of Garrett: "He was just crying, crying, just miserable, and I just thought, I thought maybe the medication was not effective." 

Colebrook Man Faces 59 Sexual Assault Charges

The alleged victim is a developmentally disabled woman who was 29 years old when Michael F. Gleason Sr. allegedly began the assaults, according to the indictments, which identify the woman only by her date of birth and initials. --- The Union Leader --- May 10, 2012 (NEW HAMPSHIRE) http://is.gd/qBpxy4

Teen Gets 10 Years for Stabbing Man with Developmental Disabilities

Hagerstown teenager to 10 years in state prison after he pleaded guilty to first-degree assault in the stabbing of a man with developmental disabilities. Judge John H. McDowel ... --- The Herald-Mail --- May 10, 2012 (MARYLAND) http://is.gd/xdbjBH 

Perils in Personal Care Homes

Growing demand, combined with a convoluted, overstretched system of oversight, leaves the door open for abuses of elderly, mentally ill or developmentally disabled residents, many experts say. There are about 100 licensed homes for every state ... --- Atlanta Journal Constitution --- May 9, 2012 (GEORGIA) http://is.gd/0WimcU 

Verdict in Ill. Group Home Death Leaves Questions

The violent death of Paul McCann led to improvements in how Illinois intends to protect the mentally disabled in group homes, but the trial of the first man accused of killing him suggests to some that justice and equality are still ... --- Galesburg Register-Mail --- May 5, 2012 (ILLINOIS) http://is.gd/xhseua

Johnston Police Use Taser Gun on Autistic Urbandale Teen

An Urbandale man faces charges of assaulting a police officer and his 15-year-old autistic son is being held in a juvenile facility following a fight at a movie theater that escalated into police using a Taser on the teen. --- Patch.com --- May 10, 2012 (IOWA) http://is.gd/j0JvqI