Civil Rights Violations For The Deaf In The Criminal Justice System
Law enforcement officers, police department personnel, emergency response professionals and the courts are held to high standards when responding to emergency calls, questioning citizens or arresting suspected criminal offenders. Part of these expectations involves calling on interpretation services or telecommunication devices when engaging with deaf individuals.
Failure to provide ASL interpretation services can result in serious consequences as people are unable to communicate emergency needs, safety concerns or personal intentions with public employees.
Our goal at the Law Offices of Daniel Snyder is to help deaf individuals take legal action and succeed when their civil rights have been violated in the criminal justice system.
How The Criminal System Can Fail To Protect Deaf Individuals
Attorney Daniel Snyder has more than 20 years of experience handling complex civil rights issues throughout Oregon. From our office in Portland, we can help you in cases that involve:
- The failure to communicate key information about your rights during an investigation or arrest
- Police dispatcher failure to relay important details of a 911 call to officers or other emergency responders
- Failure to bring an ASL interpreter to the scene of a crime
- Relying on nonprofessional ASL interpreters, such as children or family members (as well as potential abusers) of the deaf individual
- Failure to provide telecommunication relay services that allow an accused individual to contact an attorney or family member after an arrest
These are just a few examples of how the criminal justice system can easily fail to protect the rights of deaf individuals. Even standard procedures and seemingly minor details, like how hands are handcuffed during an arrest, and severely limit a deaf individual’s ability to communicate. Just because you have a hearing impairment does not mean public services should be out of reach.
We can help you protect your rights in the criminal justice system. Contact our firm to arrange a consultation and discuss the details of your case. We are here to help you. Call 503-821-7898.