Violence against women with disabilities 2012, para. 55

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A compilation of British studies found that 20 to 30 per cent of offenders had learning disabilities or difficulties that interfered with their ability to cope within the criminal justice system and that the female prison population was five times more likely to have a mental health disability than the general population. Another study found that as many as 80 per cent of female detainees had at least one psychiatric disability. Furthermore, such individuals are increasingly housed in prisons rather than psychiatric facilities. Those with intellectual or psychosocial disabilities face threats of inadequate care and mistreatment, in addition to the risks of self-harm and the deterioration of psychological or emotional well-being owing to the nature of incarceration, according to the UNODC Handbook. Closure of psychiatric institutions in some countries has led to a marked increase in the criminalization of women with disabilities.
Legal status
Non-negotiated soft law
Body
Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Means of adoption
N.A.
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Governance & Rule of Law
  • Health
Person(s) affected
  • Persons with disabilities
  • Women
Year
2012
Paragraph type
Other
Paragraph number
55