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Scapegoat: Why We Are Failing Disabled People
Every few months there's a shocking news story about the sustained, and often fatal, abuse of a disabled person. It's easy to write off such cases as bullying that got out of hand, terrible criminal anomalies or regrettable failures of the care system, but in fact they point to a more uncomfortable and fundamental truth about how our society treats its most unequal citizens. In Scapegoat, Katharine Quarmby looks behind the headlines to trace the history of disability and our discomfort with disabled people, from Greek and Roman culture through the Industrial Revolution and the origins of Britain's asylum system to the eugenics movement and the Holocaust, the introduction of Ugly Laws in the US and the unintended consequences of Britain's poorly planned community care initiative. Quarmby also charts the modern disability rights movement from the veterans of WW2 and Vietnam in the US and UK to those who have fought for independent living and the end of segregation, as well as equal rights, for the last twenty years. Combining fascinating examples from history with tenacious investigation and powerful first person interviews, Scapegoat will change the way we think about disability - and about the changes we must make as a society to ensure that disabled people are seen as equal citizens, worthy of respect, not targets for taunting, torture and attack.
288 pages, Paperback
First published June 2, 2011
13 people are currently reading
204 people want to read
About the author
Katharine Quarmby
18 books27 followersAward-winning writer, editor and journalist with extensive knowledge of writing and editing across print, TV, radio and online.
Katharine’s latest books include her debut, prize listed novel, The Low Road, which was published in hardback in June 2023 and in paperback by Eye Lightning in November 2025. Set in rural Norfolk, London and Australia in the early nineteenth century, it is based on a true story that Katharine uncovered in her Norfolk hometown, of a Norfolk woman, Mary Tyrell, who was staked through the heart after death in 1813. She had been questioned repeatedly about a suspected infanticide.
An older daughter, known only by the initials A.T., had survived. Katharine traced her to the Refuge for the Destitute in Hackney. She had met another destitute, Anne Simpkins, there and they forged a friendship that deepened into love. In December 1821 they stole laundry from the Refuge, but were caught, stood trial at the Old Bailey, and were sentenced to transportation.
The Low Road novel is about uncovering lost histories: the stories of poor women from rural areas, the stories of the imprisoned, the stories of convicts sent to penal colonies, the stories of people who often left no records as a result of illiteracy and hardship. It also contains an important strand of narrative that explores experiences left out of the history books: a same-sex romance that evolves into a marriage of sorts two centuries before this was legally possible.
Aside from The Low Road, Katharine mainly writes now on environmental journalism and is also an editor.
Katharine’s latest books include her debut, prize listed novel, The Low Road, which was published in hardback in June 2023 and in paperback by Eye Lightning in November 2025. Set in rural Norfolk, London and Australia in the early nineteenth century, it is based on a true story that Katharine uncovered in her Norfolk hometown, of a Norfolk woman, Mary Tyrell, who was staked through the heart after death in 1813. She had been questioned repeatedly about a suspected infanticide.
An older daughter, known only by the initials A.T., had survived. Katharine traced her to the Refuge for the Destitute in Hackney. She had met another destitute, Anne Simpkins, there and they forged a friendship that deepened into love. In December 1821 they stole laundry from the Refuge, but were caught, stood trial at the Old Bailey, and were sentenced to transportation.
The Low Road novel is about uncovering lost histories: the stories of poor women from rural areas, the stories of the imprisoned, the stories of convicts sent to penal colonies, the stories of people who often left no records as a result of illiteracy and hardship. It also contains an important strand of narrative that explores experiences left out of the history books: a same-sex romance that evolves into a marriage of sorts two centuries before this was legally possible.
Aside from The Low Road, Katharine mainly writes now on environmental journalism and is also an editor.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
June 10, 2013
My favourite books present a sharp and often uncomfortable argument. This book is an archetype of this imperative. The key point made in this book is that disability hate crime is of a different type and form to the hate crimes manifested from differences in sexuality, race, religion or gender. While the sociology and criminology on disability and crime is under-researched, through a series of powerful case studies revealed in this book, patterns have emerged. The perpetrators know the 'victim' and are often young. Quarmby goes through precise and strategic analysis of these cases to develop patterns that may save lives.
Most powerfully, Quarmby reveals how the institutionalization of disabled people has revealed profound social consequences, even after the moment of institutionalization has ceased. The rights to shop, to get on a bus, to have friendships and relationships and children are marginalized, decentred, ridiculed and attacked.
This is a powerful book to understand violence and injustice. It also offers mechanisms to understand why very specific modes of hate crime are activated against men and women with a disability. Powerful argument. Well written.
Most powerfully, Quarmby reveals how the institutionalization of disabled people has revealed profound social consequences, even after the moment of institutionalization has ceased. The rights to shop, to get on a bus, to have friendships and relationships and children are marginalized, decentred, ridiculed and attacked.
This is a powerful book to understand violence and injustice. It also offers mechanisms to understand why very specific modes of hate crime are activated against men and women with a disability. Powerful argument. Well written.
September 24, 2014
There are some books that I try and read as quickly as possible, just to get them out of the way because they’re awful. And there are some books I try and read quickly just so I can move on to something more cheerful, less despair, anger and shame inducing. This is in the second category.
Detailing the horrific abuse, torture and killing of disabled people in modern Britain, this book also sets disability hatred and hate crime into a historical context over a well-written, grimly fascinating section covering the Greeks and Romans, witch-hunting, the industrial revolution, Victorian freakshows, the appalling eugenics movement and its bastard offspring, the Holocaust.
Back in modern Britain, the book details the most infamous cases of disability hate crime – Kevin Davies, Raymond Atherton, Steve Hoskin, Brent Martin, Christine Lakinski, Fiona Pilkington and Michael Gilbert – and plenty of lesser known cases. But what’s so shaming, and so difficult to read is the pitiful, weak responses from local authorities, the Police and the judicial system. It’s bad enough there are people so debased and so savage to commit these crimes but the fact they’re allowed to get away with them, or be so leniently ‘punished’ for them, is hard to comprehend. Depressingly, it looks as if the situation internationally is even worse.
I did have a couple of issues with the book. Firstly, there’s a lot of repetition. The same cases are referred to again and again, which can make it a bit of a chore to read. It sometimes comes across like a series of unconnected chapters that have been later stitched together. The other, which really irked me, is the discussion of jokes made by “so-called comedian” Frankie Boyle. Whether you find him funny or not (and I generally do) Boyle IS a comedian. Pretending he isn’t is just silly.
Those criticisms aside, this is an excellent, important book. Read it.
Detailing the horrific abuse, torture and killing of disabled people in modern Britain, this book also sets disability hatred and hate crime into a historical context over a well-written, grimly fascinating section covering the Greeks and Romans, witch-hunting, the industrial revolution, Victorian freakshows, the appalling eugenics movement and its bastard offspring, the Holocaust.
Back in modern Britain, the book details the most infamous cases of disability hate crime – Kevin Davies, Raymond Atherton, Steve Hoskin, Brent Martin, Christine Lakinski, Fiona Pilkington and Michael Gilbert – and plenty of lesser known cases. But what’s so shaming, and so difficult to read is the pitiful, weak responses from local authorities, the Police and the judicial system. It’s bad enough there are people so debased and so savage to commit these crimes but the fact they’re allowed to get away with them, or be so leniently ‘punished’ for them, is hard to comprehend. Depressingly, it looks as if the situation internationally is even worse.
I did have a couple of issues with the book. Firstly, there’s a lot of repetition. The same cases are referred to again and again, which can make it a bit of a chore to read. It sometimes comes across like a series of unconnected chapters that have been later stitched together. The other, which really irked me, is the discussion of jokes made by “so-called comedian” Frankie Boyle. Whether you find him funny or not (and I generally do) Boyle IS a comedian. Pretending he isn’t is just silly.
Those criticisms aside, this is an excellent, important book. Read it.
May 3, 2021
Heartbreaking and fascinating at the same time
May 12, 2014
The book: Scapegoat: Why We Are Failing Disabled People
The author: Katharine Quarmby, "Writer, journalist, blogger, tv producer".
The subject: A ground-breaking, in-depth study of disability hate crime in the UK and its roots.
Why I chose it: I will be Disabilities Officer at my university next year, have a disability myself and am generally interested in disability politics and activism. I spend a lot of time learning about mental health so am also trying to branch out.
The rating: Four out of five stars
What I thought of it: This was a difficult, but very important read. I learned a lot of new things, mostly case studies, but also history such as Ugly Laws, where people with certain disabilities were banned from being in public, in some cases until the 1970s. In addition to recounting all this information, Quarmby seeks to understand the patterns in the crimes and analyses them thoroughly and expertly. She puts forth the main point that disability hate crime is somewhat different to other forms and what effect this has: "One of the key reasons has to be that the victim is labelled as vulnerable". It is awful to read both the descriptions of the utterly depraved crimes and, perhaps even moreso, how poor the reaction to these crimes from the police and the law has been.
Quarmby has done an excellent job with the research and writing of this book. It isn't without flaws though: I found it very repetitive, though I suppose this ensures the point sticks. I also disagree with Quarmby's assessment that euthanasia/death with dignity is inherently ableist and devalues disabled people. You cannot deny that someone with a terminal illness or a severe disability will experience awful things as a direct result of their illness or disability and I believe they should be allowed to decide for themselves whether they'd like to take charge before things get unbearable without resorting to hunger strikes as Tony Nicklinson did. I feel like this is also where the radical model of disability falls down somewhat; disabled people often experience pain that's nothing to do with how society treats them – it's just the nature of their disability – and this needs to be taken into account.
However, I would definitely still recommend this book to anyone who is interested in disability, politics, social justice, law and any related topics. Just don't read it if you're already feeling a bit down.
Just one more thing: You can find an online PDF copy of "Getting Away With Murder", a report written by Katharine Quarmby and referred to in this book, here.
The author: Katharine Quarmby, "Writer, journalist, blogger, tv producer".
The subject: A ground-breaking, in-depth study of disability hate crime in the UK and its roots.
Why I chose it: I will be Disabilities Officer at my university next year, have a disability myself and am generally interested in disability politics and activism. I spend a lot of time learning about mental health so am also trying to branch out.
The rating: Four out of five stars
What I thought of it: This was a difficult, but very important read. I learned a lot of new things, mostly case studies, but also history such as Ugly Laws, where people with certain disabilities were banned from being in public, in some cases until the 1970s. In addition to recounting all this information, Quarmby seeks to understand the patterns in the crimes and analyses them thoroughly and expertly. She puts forth the main point that disability hate crime is somewhat different to other forms and what effect this has: "One of the key reasons has to be that the victim is labelled as vulnerable". It is awful to read both the descriptions of the utterly depraved crimes and, perhaps even moreso, how poor the reaction to these crimes from the police and the law has been.
Quarmby has done an excellent job with the research and writing of this book. It isn't without flaws though: I found it very repetitive, though I suppose this ensures the point sticks. I also disagree with Quarmby's assessment that euthanasia/death with dignity is inherently ableist and devalues disabled people. You cannot deny that someone with a terminal illness or a severe disability will experience awful things as a direct result of their illness or disability and I believe they should be allowed to decide for themselves whether they'd like to take charge before things get unbearable without resorting to hunger strikes as Tony Nicklinson did. I feel like this is also where the radical model of disability falls down somewhat; disabled people often experience pain that's nothing to do with how society treats them – it's just the nature of their disability – and this needs to be taken into account.
However, I would definitely still recommend this book to anyone who is interested in disability, politics, social justice, law and any related topics. Just don't read it if you're already feeling a bit down.
Just one more thing: You can find an online PDF copy of "Getting Away With Murder", a report written by Katharine Quarmby and referred to in this book, here.
January 19, 2015
I was aware of disability hate crime, but not the scourge of it that plagues our community today. The stories, the historical origins, much of it reminds me of Madness and Civilization: A History of Insanity in the Age of Reason, placed instead in a clear simple-to-read narrative. I'd recommend this book to anyone of the left, and anyone who works in the care/health industry.
January 25, 2013
Very topical, lots of facts a bit repetitive at times
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews