Hate Crime Policy and Disability: From Vulneraility to Ableism
by Dr Séamus Taylor, Maynooth University
Outlining the key developments of the Disability Hate Crime policy agenda, Seamus Taylor brings together a unique consideration of the theoretical and practical questions at its heart.
This book analyses the contributions of activists, politicians, policy makers and criminal justice system practitioners to policy development, and critiques both the under-recognition of disability prejudice and the challenge of vulnerability in addressing disability hostility.
Reviews and endorsements of book
This new book has received critical acclaim for it's insights into policy making on hate crime and in particular the under recognised issue of disability hate crime. The following are amongst the reviews and endorsements to date:
‘’This book is long overdue: a welcome account of the development of Disability Hate Crime and a timely challenge about the way forward’
Sir Keir Starmer QC MP, Leader of the Labour Party
" Taylor has been at the centre of the development of Disability Hate Crime policy for some years. He is ideally placed to describe the journey set out in this book and, most importantly, the action that is still needed to provide equitable rights and protections to disabled people." Paul Giannasi OBE, National Policing Advisor for Hate Crime, UK Government
‘’Brilliant and timely, this compelling account of an under-explored area is a passionate call to arms. Taylor lays bare the real meaning of these crimes and of society’s continuing failure to address them. His book is a demand for justice’’.
Ken Macdonald QC, former Master, Wadham College, Oxford University and Director of Public Prosecutions 2003-2008.
‘‘This must-read book provides original insight into the policy progress made, or lack thereof, in tackling Disability Hate Crime. It implores the reader to reconsider how ableism informs this odious form of victimisation’’.
Professor Mark Walters, Professor of Criminal Law and Criminology, University of Sussex.
“For the first time, this book effectively combines the historical context of activism, political obliviousness and a need for recognition for the victims of these heinous crimes.”
Dr David Wilkin, The Open University and Chair, Disability Hate Crime Network
‘‘Taylor provides a clear, comprehensive, and compelling account of the development of policy on Disability Hate Crime. A go to text for text for scholars, policy makers and practitioners’’.
Rt Honourable Lord David Blunkett, former Home Secretary.
"The strength of this book lies in Taylor's exploration of how disability hate crime evolved in the UK context, and how it clarifies the dilemmas faced by those challenging the violence that seeps from society's discomfort with disability as a category."
Katharine Quarmby, author of Scapegoat: How We Are Failing Disabled People
"Compelling and rich in evidence, this timely new book challenges us to question prevailing assumptions about disability hate crime. Essential reading for anyone seeking to develop fresh ways of thinking about and responding to an urgent set of problems."
Professor Neil Chakraborti, Professor of Criminology, University of Leicester
“Grounded in interviews with disability activists, policy makers and practitioners, this book highlights the limited recognition of targeted violence that is part of the lived experience of people with disability. Taylor acknowledges ableism as a foundational enabler of such violence.”
Professor Barbara Perry, UNESCO Chair in Hate Studies, Ontario Tech University
‘‘Taylor draws on his unique experiences as a policy maker and scholar to help us understand the true nature of Disability Hate Crime and why it really matters. Essential reading for anyone interested in ensuring justice for disabled people’’.
Joanna Perry, Independent Consultant (Hate Crime), former Hate Crime Advisor, OSCE, Warsaw
About the Author
Seamus Taylor is Head of Department in Applied Social Studies
at Maynooth University, and previously Director of Equality
and Diversity at the Crown Prosecution Service (England and
Wales) and prior to that Director of Strategy at the Commission for
Racial Equality (Britain).
HB ISBN 9781529217872
EPUB ISBN 9781529217896
EPDF ISBN 9781529217902
Bristol University Press
bristoluniversitypress.co.uk/hate-crime-policy-and-disability