(SACRAMENTO, CA) Assemblymember Noreen Evans (D-Santa Rosa), Chair of the Assembly Democratic Caucus, introduced AB 1192 to protect the developmentally disabled from abusive caregivers through creating a registry tracking abusive caregivers.
 
“This basic protection is long overdue,” says Evans.  “We have registries to help protect children and seniors from abuse.  The developmentally disabled need protection too.”
 
AB 1192 directs the state Department of Developmental Services (DDS) to establish a registry of care providers with abusive histories and make the information available to the groups hiring caregivers.  The bill also requires that the employers of caregivers report instances of abuse to the department.  Failure to report abuse would be a misdemeanor, punishable by not more than six months in the county jail, by a fine up to $1,000, or by both that fine and imprisonment.
 
“Current safeguards don’t prevent caregivers caught or investigated for abuse from moving to another agency providing care,” adds Evans.  “My bill will help put a stop to this.”
 
Abuse of the DD population encompasses physical, sexual, verbal, and financial abuse, as well as neglect, abandonment, abduction, isolation, and deprivation of needed goods and services.  Developmentally disabled persons face a higher risk of abuse because they are often segregated from the mainstream population and are heavily dependent on others for their basic needs.
 
Individuals with developmental disabilities are 11 times more likely of being sexually assaulted and 13 times more likely of being robbed than people without disabilities.  One study by the University of California, Irvine found that there are 5 million crimes against the developmentally disabled each year.
 
The Adult Protective Services of Orange County already has an Elder and Dependent Adult Abuse Registry in place at http://www.ssa.ocgov.com/Elder_Disabled/Report_Abuse.asp.  It received nearly 5,500 reports of elder and dependent adult abuse in 2005, elder and dependent abuse reports have increased by 127% from 1994 to 2005, and between 450-550 reports are received at the Registry each month.
 
AB 1192 is sponsored by the REACH – Registry to End Abusive Caregiver Hiring - Project.  Further information about this bill is available online at http://www.leginfo.ca.gov.