‘Mate crime’: ridicule, hostility and targeted attacks against disabled people

Thomas, Pam

doi:10.1080/09687599.2011.532590

Cited by 41 publications

(44 citation statements)

References 3 publications

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“…The paper has argued that in many cases what are now termed disability hate crimes are “in the moment” hostile expressions of widely held attitudes towards disabled people. In some cases, and uniquely so for disability, the victim and perpetrator are known to each other, as neighbours, carers or “friends” (Thomas, ). It is these relationships, some fleeting and others enduring, and the socio‐spatial moments in which they are enacted, that a critical geography of disability hate crime could productively examine.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

A critical geography of disability hate crime

Hall

2018

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Many disabled people experience fear, harassment and occasionally violence in an array of public and private spaces, yet the issue remains unexamined by geographers of disability. To address this research gap, the paper develops a critical geography of disability "hate crime." Extreme, yet rare, violent acts against disabled people constitute the popular and policy imagination of disability hate crime. While clearly important, these cases characterise disability hate crime as individually-targeted placeless acts of extreme abjection against disabled people.At the same time, they arguably draw attention away from everyday "low-level" harassment, name-calling, fear, and neglect experienced by many in mainstream spaces and the impact on senses of social inclusion and belonging. Citing "race"related hate crime studies, which have recognised the role of social and physical environments in shaping incidence, the paper seeks to shift research and, in turn, policy on disability hate crime towards the local and micro-scale spaces and moments within which incidents occur, and the social relations that constitute these acts, in the context of an exclusionary disablist society. The paper is organised in two parts: first, evidence of harassment and violence experienced by disabled people (UK-focused) is examined and the emergence of disability "hate crime" critiqued; second, a critical geography of disability hate crime is developed, applying insights from hate crime studies and relational geographies of disability. The paper concludes by setting out an agenda for Geography's potential contribution to disability and wider hate crime research. K E Y W O R D S disability, fear of crime, harassment, hate crime, relational geography

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

A critical geography of disability hate crime

Hall

2018

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“…Another problem is that many family members are offenders of disablist violence (Thomas 2011), leaving no familial support for the victim. Even when the family is supportive and willing to be a subject of the public gaze, other factors exist.…”

Section: Family and Shamementioning

confidence: 99%

‘Figurehead’ hate crime cases: developing a framework for understanding and exposing the ‘problem’ with ‘disability’

Thorneycroft

Asquith

2017

Continuum

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The horrific stories of James Byrd Jr., Matthew Shepard and Stephen Lawrence are forever etched in criminal law. In each of these cases, activists, family members, politicians, academics, the public and media all reacted in their unique way to bring the problem of 'hate crime' onto the agenda. There are many other cases that have activated such a public imagination, or what we call 'figurehead' cases, yet the factors pertinent to figurehead recognition remain under-explored within hate crime scholarship. Using a case study analysis, three racist and heterosexist hate crime cases are examined in order to assess the individual and collective conditions that facilitated their place on the public agenda. This analysis has important implications for the category of 'disability' , and highlights several shortcomings that forestall the recognition of 'disablist hate crime' publicly, legislatively and judicially. It is argued that the positioning of disability as 'abject' has inhibited the operationalization of disablist violence within the hate crime framework, and within criminal justice systems more generally.

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“…The most critical factor contributing to the under‐reporting of disablist violence is the presence of a relationship between the victim and the offender (Sin ; Thomas ). This represents a major theme in criminology, where offender(s) are generally found to be known to the victims in some manner (Virueda and Payne ).…”

Section: The Dark Figure Of Disablist Violencementioning

confidence: 99%

“…‘Mate crime’ refers to criminal acts perpetrated against a person with a real or perceived disability status, where the victim has an affinity – rather than dependent – relationship with the offender(s) (Thomas ). Typically, the victim values the relationship with the offender, whilst the offender uses the asymmetrical relationship to exploit, humiliate and attack their ‘friend’ (Thomas ).…”

Section: The Dark Figure Of Disablist Violencementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Social ostracism is the norm for a person living with a disability and, as such, the social ‘connection’ offered by affinity offenders is often valued by the victim (Edwards and Imrie ). Given that many people with disability find it difficult to form social bonds, the key feature of ‘mate crime’ is the victim's desire for a relationship or friendship (Thomas ). Edwards and Imrie () contend that ‘social inequalities … are core to the lives of disabled people’ (p.241), and ultimately, the connection with the offender – no matter how counterfeit – outweighs the risks of victimisation and the threat of social isolation (Thomas ).…”

Section: The Dark Figure Of Disablist Violencementioning

confidence: 99%

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The Dark Figure of Disablist Violence

Thorneycroft

Asquith

2015

The Howard Journal of Criminal Justice

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While there is a paucity of research pertaining to the phenomenon of disablist violence, one key feature has emerged: it is widely under-reported and under-recorded. The reasons for this are diverse: many are representative of reporting issues attributable to all forms of (hate) crime, and others are unique to the individual and social conditions of living with a disability (Sin 2013). This article provides a conceptual and contextual overview of disablist violence before proceeding to a critical literature review of the reasons why the phenomenon is largely under-reported. Against this backdrop, we offer a critical examination of the various policing strategies necessary for addressing the problem of under-reporting of disablist violence.

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‘Mate crime’: ridicule, hostility and targeted attacks against disabled people

Cited by 41 publications

References 3 publications

A critical geography of disability hate crime

A critical geography of disability hate crime

‘Figurehead’ hate crime cases: developing a framework for understanding and exposing the ‘problem’ with ‘disability’

The Dark Figure of Disablist Violence

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