The ideal victims? Women with intellectual disability as victims of prostitution-related crime

Abstract

In Sweden several recent prostitution-related offences where the victims were women with intellectual disabilities (IDs) have created problems for criminal investigators and prosecutors. Based on court documents and interviews with police, prosecutors and social workers, and drawing upon Christie's notion of the 'ideal victim', four legal cases were analysed. Obtaining solid witness accounts from the victims was usually difficult. Several had a personal relationship with the defendant and were initially reluctant to provide a proper witness statement. Different types of psychological, social, and cognitive support had to be arranged to facilitate the process. As the analysis shows, there is a clear need to improve the skills and methods of professionals working within the legal system to ensure that the rights of individuals with IDs are properly met within the justice system, and that the quality of the police's work with them can stand up to scrutiny.

When Do those “Risk-Taking Adolescents” Take Risks? The Combined Effects of Risk Encouragement by Peers, Mild-to-Borderline Intellectual Disability and Sex

“…With regard to task characteristics, our risk-taking task included explicit peer influence of same-sex peers. Potentially, girls with MBID are be more susceptible to implicit peer influences such as indirect bullying (Svahn and Evaldsson 2011) or to opposite sex peer influence related to prostitution-related crime (Kuosmanen and Starke 2015). Nevertheless, many more variations in peer influence situations exist.…”

A school‐based intervention can promote insights into future parenting in students with intellectual disabilities—A Swedish interview study

“…Previous studies have confirmed that women with ID are less likely to cohabit with the child's father compared to women without ID (Höglund et al., 2012a,2012b). Women with ID are at greater risk of being exposed to abusive treatment and violence, and thus, they are a vulnerable group and have a higher risk of exploitation (Kuosmanen & Starke, 2015).…”

Sex Trafficking of Girls With Intellectual Disabilities: An Exploratory Mixed Methods Study

“…Existing research regarding JST involving those with ID is generally anecdotal, and our understanding of the problem is insufficient. Several researchers have documented the opinions of police, prosecutors, and social workers regarding individuals with ID involved in prostitution based on a small number of cases (Kuosmanen & Starke, 2011, 2013). Other researchers have examined the types of crimes committed by those with ID in comparison with those without ID (Lindsay et al, 2011) or compared sex offenders with ID with non-sex offenders with ID (Lindsay et al, 2004; van den Bogaard, Embregts, Hendriks, & Heestermans, 2013) with prostitution arrests recorded against both male and female adults with ID (Lindsay, Steele, Smith, Quinn, & Allan, 2006).…”