Page 20 - Community Living Magazine 30-3

HAte CrIme

Continued from Page 17 feelings of anger at what had learning disabled or autistic victims
t
threatened with violence if he did not happened to them. Respondents called of hate crime. “Sam is in many ways
meet fnancial demands. on authorities to tackle learning just like you, just like your child.
disability hate crime head-on. But Sam’s learning disability makes
When the abuse was discovered, They want changes in the law him or her a target for verbal,
the police lacked the powers to and for the justice system, police and physical and fnancial abuse.”
charge the perpetrator, because of schools and colleges to give them Having produced evidence of the
the apparently voluntary nature of the greater protection. extent of hate crime through its
transactions. The victim was admitted survey, the campaign is attacking the
to hospital with a breakdown. The Dimensions campaign uses the issue on a broad front. They have
image of ‘Sam’ to represent all brought together a large group of
A Dimensions survey found that 73% partner organisations to keep up
of respondents had experienced hate the campaign pressure (Box 1 –
crime, 53% in the past year. see page 17). They have also
Respondents reported that the crimes appealed to the public (including
had made them scared of other people, readers of Community Living) to
uncomfortable about leaving the house write to their MPs about the
and had affected their confdence and campaign and to tell their own
self-esteem. Many were left with stories or those of people
they know.

when I reported ‘I’m with Sam’ has set eight
mate crime (fnancial campaign objectives (Box 2
abuse) I was told that it below), which include changes
was not a hate crime and in the law to make online
wasn’t a crime at all if disability hate a crime, steps to
people had conned me out make it easier for people with
of £4,000 because I trusted learning disabilities to report hate
them. no action was taken crime, and collection of separate
by the police at all. statistics by the police and others
about disability hate incidents.
Victim testimony They have met with the Crown
to ‘I’m with Sam’ Prosecution Service to discuss
their new policy for prosecuting
crimes against disabled people,
which emphasises ‘situational risk’
Blueprint: ‘I’m with Sam’s eight objectives rather than vulnerability, and commits
to end learning disability hate crime to seeking more prosecutions and
sentence uplifts where hostility to
• Separate disability hate statistics into learning disability is involved. Dimensions
disability/autism, and other disabilities Chief Executive Steve Scown
has called on everyone,
• Change the law to make disability hate a crime online including politicians, civil servants,

• Department of Education to adapt resources to mums and dads, teachers, police and
support all schools with positive messages care professionals, to play their part in
giving the campaign momentum,
around difference and to infuence where they can.

• Manufacturers to incorporate greater learning disability In his words: “Hate crime robs people
sensitivity into toys and games of their confdence, their independence
and, sometimes, their lives.”
• Department of Health guidance to help families and
staff identify and manage hate crime ‘I’m with Sam‘: no more learning
disability and autism hate crime.
• Crown Prosecution Service to improve investigation Report available through the website.
protocols when learning disabled victims are involved
Find out more about ‘I’m with Sam’
• Improved Home Offce training and resources for police at https://www.dimensions-uk.org/
offcers and funded self-advocates to provide specialist campaign/imwithsam/
victim support
Dimensions is a not for proft
• Evaluation of effectiveness of new coercive behaviour charitable registered society that
legislation on people with learning disabilities supports 3,500 people across
England and Wales
Box 2 https://www.dimensions-uk.org/

18 Vol 30 No 3 | Spring 2017 Community Living www.cl-initiatives.co.uk