Police violence in Israel towards people with mental disabilities

Abstract

People with mental disabilities are more likely to become subject to police violence than the general population, as shown by a review of the literature. A media search was performed for fatal confrontations between Israeli police or security officers and people with mental disabilities, in the years 2019–2020. Four lethal incidents and one severe but non-lethal incidents draw attention to the intersection of identities of the victims, who not only had disabilities but also belonged to minority groups. Systematic documentation and investigation of cases is lacking. National authorities are requested to be transparent in their reporting and investigate cases of police violence. Health professionals are encouraged to document any incidents of violence by law enforcement personnel in medical files, in case of injury, with ICD-10 code Y35.