Crimes Against Persons with Disabilities

Building Partnerships for the Protection of Persons with Disabilities is a collaborative effort by the Massachusetts human services and law enforcement communities to combat crimes committed against persons with disabilities.

Led by Northwestern District Attorney Elizabeth D. Scheibel and hosted by MDAA,  the Building Partnerships Initiative includes the eleven District Attorneys, the Disabled Persons Protection Commission, the Massachusetts State Police, the Department of Mental Retardation, the Department of Mental Health and the Massachusetts Rehabilitation Commission.  Its purpose is to train service providers, civil investigators, police, prosecutors and court personnel how to better identify, report, investigate and prosecute crimes committed against this vulnerable population.

The Building Partnerships Initiative has won national recognition as a model of inter-agency cooperation in public safety.  Originally funded by an Edward Byrne Memorial Grant through the Executive Office of Public Safety, the Building Partnerships Initiative is maintained through the generous support of the Massachusetts Department of Mental Retardation.