"Disabled woman: Men took turns raping me"....

[WinkyDink]

The mentally retarded woman who says she was repeatedly raped in a state-licensed care facility has told authorities that her alleged attackers took turns violating her in a hallway of the home over a period of five days, state records show.

---------------

A Des Moines Sunday Register report earlier this year revealed that the state’s residential care facilities for the disabled were housing a growing number of young, violent offenders who were living alongside vulnerable individuals with serious physical and mental disabilities. The Register identified 27 sex offenders living in 15 of Iowa’s 188 residential care facilities.

Shortly after that story was published, state legislators extended a moratorium on the routine inspection of residential care facilities like the Fairview home. As a result, it’s anticipated that some of those facilities will remain uninspected for 4½ years.

http://www.desmoinesregister.com/article/20110925/NEWS01/309250053/?odyssey=obinsite
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Can you guess the party of the Governor??
https://governor.iowa.gov/about/

The same man who said THIS:
Iowa tax breaks for the poor were too costly as compared to others, Branstad says
http://blogs.desmoinesregister.com/dmr/index.php/tag/iowa-legislature-2011/

[uppityperson]

1. rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr k&r

[lumberjack_jeff]

2. Yay for institutions.

:grr:

[uppityperson]

4. yay for cutting already low funds for inspections and decent rules.

I have worked in "institutions". Some good, some bad. They have their place but need regulations and regular inspections along with large fines for instances like this.

[KamaAina]

10. "Care facility" is an oxymoron.

Luckily for you, Oregon is among the leaders in replacing them with (far less expensive) home- and community-based care.

[Liberal_in_LA]

3. ugly, awful. Glad the perps have been identified and will be prosecuted. Poor woman

[Blue_Tires]

7. it's chilling to think how much of this goes unreported...

[seabeyond]

5. it seemed to me like we had an article it is a free for all with these women. more two huge steps

back.

[City Lights]

6. Disgusting.

:cry:

[loyalsister]

8. Institutionalization is not a partisan issue

Well meaning Democrats and bigoted republicans are unfortunately on the same side of this issue.
Disability advocates have been pushing members of both parties to close institutions. There is a very large lobby for nursing homes and institutions that wield tremendous power. Also older parents push to keep them open.
Meanwhile former and current residents along with allies have been lobbying for community choice laws and money follows the person funding allocation that would allow people to live in the least restrictive environments. No one who has power is innocent here.

[lumberjack_jeff]

12. 90% of those who were institutionalized in the 60's could have had better quality of life...

... in community-based living.

Community care is cheaper than institutions but it isn't free.

Fully agree with you.

[WinkyDink]

15. Fine.

[napoleon_in_rags]

19. This mental health worker is with you 100%

Least restrictive settings are the way to go. They foster independence and self reliance for the clients, and protect their rights. Institutional settings could make a completely sane person mentally ill just by being there.

[laylah]

9. Beyond disgusting!

I know folks that work in the field that love, honor, and RESPECT folks like her! This is heartbreaking!

[Odin2005]

11. OH. MY. GOD!!!

:cry:

[Ruby the Liberal]

13. This isn't going to be popular

But I am going to say it. When violent criminals are put into the midst of these homes under "insanity plea" arguments, this is bound to happen. Sex offenders getting out of serving time in prison and unleashed on the segment of society that needs our protection more than most? Wonderful idea.

:eyes:

If the state feels the need to lock said folks into a home for the disabled, it owes it to the residents to either lock them away in their own wing or keep them under a watchful eye/guard 24/7.

[elehhhhna]

16. lots of paralyzed (shot) gangbangers in longterm care facilities,as well.

lots.

[Ruby the Liberal]

17. Which 'qualifies' them for a different reason

than a legal defense. Doubtful the paralyzed criminals are the ones roaming the halls to rape and pillage.

[Prophet 451]

18. This is why there used to be hospitals specifically for the criminally insane n/t

[murielm99]

14. In Illinois, Lisa Madigan, our attorney general,

has brought a lot of attention to this issue. Too many nursing home residents were being assaulted, even murdered. There were no checks on sex offenders and mentally ill residents in nursing homes. Our governor listened to her, and new legislation was passed. Our governor and attorney general are Democrats.

However, my family discovered recently that some nursing homes are not living up to their responsibilities. A relative of mine had to spend about eight weeks in a nursing home. They asked him if he had ever been convicted of a felony. He said no. They did no further background checking. But someone in a room near his did answer "yes" to that question. They transferred him to another facility, and told him the nursing home had to protect itself. They told him that if he wanted to stay in the next facility, he should lie. More than one resident, including my relative, heard this conversation. My family member even asked the transferee about it. The guy was pretty open with him.

The nursing home intake people never asked him what crime had been committed, or any other details. From what we could determine, no routine background checks were being done, in spite of the new laws.

WTF?

I realize this is anecdotal, but for me, it raises questions. What needs to be done? One person here suggested locked or segregated wards. Maybe that is a good answer. Background checks would be nice, too.

I have a feeling that there will be more scandals in the not too distant future. They will be in Iowa, Illinois, which has protective laws, and other places, too.