Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education Advance Access originally published online on July 6, 2005
The Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education 2005 10(4):417-425; doi:10.1093/deafed/eni039
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Empirical Articles |
Violent Offenders in a Deaf Prison Population
Winston-Salem State University
Western Maryland College and the National Deaf Academy
Mississippi State University Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Blindness and Low Vision
Previous research suggested an unexplained difference in the patterns of offending behaviors among deaf people when compared to hearing people. This study, conducted in Texas, compares the incidence and types of violent offenses of a deaf prison population in comparison to the hearing prison population. Sixty-four percent of deaf prisoners were incarcerated for violent offenses in comparison to 49% of the overall state prison offender population. This finding is consistent with previous research. The most significant difference between the populations was found in the category of sexual assault, which represented 32.3% of deaf offenders in contrast to 12.3% of hearing state prison inmates overall. Factors potentially impacting violent offending by deaf persons are their vulnerability to child sexual abuse, use of chemicals, educational histories, and development of language and communication skills. Additionally, there is a widespread lack of accessible intervention and treatment services available to deaf sex offenders across the nation.
Correspondence should be sent to Katrina R. Miller, Winston-Salem State University, 601 Martin Luther King Jr. Dr., Old Nursing Building #10-A, Campus Box 19386, Winston-Salem, NC 27110 (e-mail: millerk{at}wssu.edu).
Received November 18, 2004; revised March 21, 2005; accepted March 21, 2005