BBC Radio 4 ran an excellent show on Hate Crimes against people with disabilities this week. Here is a summary and link to listen to the show. Although the UK now has a hate crime law that allows some crimes againt people with disabilities to be categorized as hate crimes, few actually are identified as such. Tom Shakespeare, an outstanding theorist and commentator on disability studies, argues that we should draw a line between disability hate crimes and lesser offenses, such as bullying people with disabilities, reserving the hate crime label for the most serious offenses. See Does disability hate crime exist? on the BBC magazine for this interesting discussion and more. To listen to the BBC Radio 4 show, you will need REAL PLAYER or at least be willing to download a copy, but the show is very well done and is worth the trouble. Just click the link below to get started.
The Hidden Crime of Hate Geoff Adams-Spink looks at hate crimes against the disabled. In spite of some high-profile cases, the criminal justice system is failing to address the problem and apply the law. 40 minute radio Show
For those who listen to BBC 4 live, the show will air again on August 24 at 17.00.
Many crimes are difficult to classify. For example, in June, the South Wales Echo reported a series of attacks on one family that were spread over a period of six years.
Their garden shed was robbed on a number of occasions
The woman’s wheelchair was stolen and burned.
A note was left saying, “I can get into your house at any time.”
The family car was defaced with spray paint.
The family van was torched.
No one was arrested for these crimes.
Tags: BBC Radio, Bullying, Crime, Disability Hate Crimes, Tom Shakespeare
August 22, 2008 at 6:04 am |
[...] theory of disability. There are links to the radio show and the magazine article available on the icad blog. Realplayer is required for the audio. Posted in Ableism, Disability, Disability and the law, [...]