Title: Section One
1Section One
- Victim and Officer Safety
2- Introductory Note on Language
3Language
- Victims and survivors
- Victims (primarily using female pronouns)
- Offenders (primarily using male pronouns)
- Laws (rely upon original statutory language)
- Use domestic violence and interpersonal violence
interchangeably
4Evolving Terms
- Domestic violence relationship violence family
violence spouse abuse battering - Increasingly becoming called intimate partner
violence (IPV) or abuse (IPA) in many official
and academic sources
5Victim Safety
6How much risk is associated with domestic
violence?
- Rates are high for women who experience elevated
rates of homicide and assault compared to men - Exactly how much risk depends upon the data
source used - Data and statistics always vary based on source,
sample size, and methodology - Challenge is to decipher trends based on the most
reliable data
7Violence against intimates difficult to measure
because
- it often occurs in private
- victims are often reluctant to report incidents
to anyone because of shame or fear of reprisal - differences in studies using varied definitions
of - Intimates
- Violence
8Two main sources of data
- Uniform Crime Report (UCR)
- National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS)
9Uniform Crime Reports (UCR)
- Measure only crimes known to police
- No information on victim/offender relationship
for average assault case (although changing as
systems move to the NIBRS system) - Some useful data on homicide
10In 2006, UCR data show
- Homicide data involving only one victim and one
offender show that overwhelming number of both
male and female victims are killed by men (92
for women and 91 or men). - About one-third (32) of female victims were
killed by their husbands or boyfriends compared
to 2 of male victims killed by wives or
girlfriends. - FBI (2006). Uniform Crime Report Expanded
Homicide Data (http//www.fbi.gov/ucr/cius2006/off
enses/expanded_information/homicide.html)
11Data consistent. From 1976-2005, on average
- Female homicide victims are more likely than male
victims to be killed by an intimate 30 of
women killed are killed by an intimate and 12 by
a family member only 9 are strangers (with the
rest being friends or acquaintances). - Male victims are more likely than female victims
to be killed by acquaintances (35) or strangers
(16) only 5 are killed by intimates or family
members (7). - Remaining percentages absent from the figures
are assailants that have an unknown relationship
with the victim.
12Percent of Homicides by Gender 1976-2005 UCR
data
13Tennessee Incident Based Reporting Data (TIBRS
2006)
- Crimes reported to the police
- 80,575 victims reported a domestic violence
related offense the vast majority involved
simple assault (69) or aggravated assault (13) - 76 murders were reported
- 73 of the victims were female
- 39 of the victims were African-American which is
over-represented based on their percentage in the
population (about 20) - Victims were most often between the ages of 25-34
- Crime in Tennesee 2006 available at
http//www.tbi.state.tn.us/Info20Systems20Div/TI
BRS_unit/Publications/200620All20Agencies20Comb
ined.pdf
14National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS)
- Provides information on the dark figure of
crime crime not reported to the police - Annual data on domestic violence is not complete
in the yearly report. - Periodically publish an overview concentrating
specifically on intimate partner violence - 2007 report provides a summary of NCVS data from
2001-2005 - Catalano, S. (2007). Intimate Partner Violence in
the United States, Bureau of Justice Statistics.
Available at http//www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/pub/pd
f/ipvus.pdf
15NCVS Results
- Almost 1 in 4 (22) acts of violent victimization
(of all types) committed against women involved
intimate partner violence but only 4 for men
(excludes murder). - Females ages 20 to 24 were at the greatest risk
of intimate partner violence - Separated women reported higher rates of intimate
violence than females of other marital status
16NCVS Results (cont.)
- African-American and Hispanic women experienced
higher rates of intimate partner violence than
other racial groups and higher than their
proportion in the population - Women in lower income groups experienced higher
rates of victimization than those in higher
income groups. - Children were present in 38 of the households
where women experienced intimate partner
violence. - About 3 of female victims and 16 of male
victims involved same sex partner assaults
17Characteristics of the Assaults
- Most assaults were simple assaults
- Most assaults for women occur in the evening
(59) and in the home (63). - Weapons were not present in most cases (81)
- About two-thirds of female victims reported they
were hit, slapped, or knocked down as the main
form of assault - About half of all females suffered an injury from
their victimization and about 20 of these
required treatment - About one fourth (23) of female victims sought
victim assistance of some kind - 58 of female victims reported their experience
to the police
18Stalking also a significant problem
- One national victimization study reports that 78
of stalking victims are women - 94 of their stalkers are male
- Women are eight times more likely to be stalked
by a former or current intimate partner than men - Tjaden, Patricia and Nancy Thoennes. Stalking in
America Findings From the National Violence
Against Women Survey. National Institute of
Justice.
19Summary of Data
- Overwhelming evidence that women are a majority
of victims is supported using data from many
sources - National victimization surveys from the US
- Victimization surveys from other countries
- Studies using shelter records
- Studies using police, prosecution, and sentencing
records - Studies using emergency room records
- Studies using homicide records
20Assessing Lethality for Victims
21Assessment as Prevention
- In 70 to 80 of intimate partner homicides,
victims were abused prior to the murder - An important way to decrease intimate partner
homicide involves the identification and
intervention of abused women.
22Are there factors that predict whether batterers
will kill?
- Research is less than conclusive
- Assessments have generally been used as a guide
for victims to assess their own levels of danger - Cannot predict who will and will not murder
- None the less some warning factors should be
considered when officers respond
23Most important factors
- Threats and assaults involving guns or other
weapons - Women who are threatened or assaulted with a gun
or other weapons are 20 times more likely than
other women to be murdered. - Threats of murder
- Women whose partners threaten them with murder
are 15 times more likely than other women to be
killed. - Guns in the home
- When a gun is in the house, an abused woman is 6
times more likely than other abused women to be
killed.
24Other factors possibly related
- Escalating domestic violence and the increasing
entrapment of battered women - Separation/estrangement/divorce of the parties
- Obsessive possessiveness or jealousy on the part
of the abusive partner - Threats to commit intimate partner homicide,
suicide, or both - Prior agency involvement, particularly with the
police - Having a protective or restraining orders issued
against one of the parties, usually the man - A prior criminal history of violent behavior on
the part of the abusive man - Serious injury in prior abusive incidents
- Drug or alcohol abuse
- Forced sex of female partner
25One can never really know which batterer will
attempt to kill a battered woman or her children.
- Any battering relationship may end in homicide.
Potential lethality is always a concern. - Lethality also is affected by criminal justice
system and community responses. - No instrument should be the only basis for safety
planning for victims. It can only be used with
other information as part of the puzzle.
26Be aware
- Risk of lethality or death is not the same as
predicting risk of re-assault - Less research in this area
- The risk factors for both are probably related
but not exactly the same
27Risk Factors Related to Re-offending
- Prior non-domestic violence convictions
- Prior arrests for assault or harassment
- Prior domestic violence treatment
- Prior drug or alcohol treatment
- History of domestic violence related to
restraining/protective orders - History of violating restraining/protective
orders - Evidence that weapons used in committing any
crime - Children present during domestic violence
incident - Currently unemployed
- Victim separated from offender within past 6
months - Victim has restraining order/protective order
when offense occurred - Offender under any type of community supervision
when offense occurred
28Homicide/Suicide Cases
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
- 32 of suicides are precipitated by a problem
with an intimate partner - 75 of the homicide victims in these cases are
female and 90 of the suicides are males - Offenders are more apt to be white, ages 35-55,
married, and about a 50 chance of being under
the influence of drugs or alcohol - 73 of incidents occur in a house and 88 involve
a firearm. - 79 of the cases had prior evidence of intimate
partner problems and 87 reported a crisis in
the two weeks preceding the incident (often
involving civil or criminal legal problems). - There is rarely much warning. Only 17 of the
offenders disclosed their intent to commit these
acts. Only 5 had a history of suicide attempts.
79 left no suicide note.
29Law Enforcement Implications
- Notify victims that threats and assaults
involving guns or other weapons, threats of
murder, or guns in the home are related to
increased lethality. - Discuss with victims that all incidents have the
potential for lethality even if it is
unintentional (pushing them so that they hit
their head and have a brain bleed) - Provide referrals
- Assist victims with a safety plan
30Safety plan here
31Officer Safety
32Do the Officer Safety Skit Exercise
33How much risk is associated with domestic
violence?
- It is not extensive and certainly not as high as
historically has been taught in police academies. - The risk is more likely to involve assault than
murder.
34Perceived Risk to Police Officers
- Historically police officers were trained to view
domestic violence cases as one of or the most
dangerous calls possible - Some older research suggested that that between
25 to 80 of police officers reported an assault
when responding to domestic violence calls
35FBI Reports Reinforced this Idea
- Indicate that deaths to police officers
responding to domestic disputes ranked between
the highest to the third highest of all deaths
associated with making arrests - Problem was the way they defined the category --
domestic disturbances - Included all kinds of disturbance calls which
were domestic violence calls and bar fights, gang
calls, general public disturbances short of a
riot, and man with a gun calls.
36Example of the Report
37Re-analysis of data finds
- That police deaths in domestic violence cases
accounted for about 6 of all non-accidental
deaths from 1973-1982. - Police officers are more likely to die
accidentally as a result of their own action or
the actions of other police officers than to die
when responding to a domestic violence call. - FBI continues to use this overly broad category
of domestic disturbances in their annual reports
on Law Enforcement Officers Killed and Assaulted - Gardner, J. and Clemmer, E. (1987) Danger to
police in domestic disturbances A new look.
Washington DC U.S. Department of Justice.
Available at http//www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/
grants/196694.pdf
38Rank order of 48 officer fatalities for 2006
- Attempting arrests 12
- Ambush situations 10
- Traffic stops 8
- Disturbance calls (excluding dv cases) 6
- Investigating suspicious persons 6
- Domestic violence calls 2
- Tactical situations (e.g. hostages) 2
- Transporting prisoners 1
- Dealing w/ mentally ill persons 1
- FBI Law Enforcement Officers Killed and
Assaulted, 2006 available at http//www.fbi.gov/
ucr/killed/2006/index.html
39Notice how the impact is different when domestic
disturbances are combined
- Attempting arrests 12
- Ambush situations 10
- Traffic stops 8
- Disturbance calls (all kinds) 8
- Investigating suspicious persons 6
- Tactical situations (e.g. hostages) 2
- Transporting prisoners 1
- Dealing w/ mentally ill persons 1
40Officers are most apt to die in accidents
- Rank order of 66 officer fatalities for accidents
in 2006 - Automobile accidents 38
- Struck by vehicles 13
- Motorcycles accidents 8
- Accidental shootings 4
- Aircraft accidents 3
- FBI Law Enforcement Officers Killed and
Assaulted, 2006 available at http//www.fbi.gov/
ucr/killed/2006/index.html
41Overview Officer Fatalities
42Other Safety Issues
- Homicide is only one way to measure danger in
these cases we need to know more about assaults
and injuries to establish danger estimates - We need measures that assess danger rates based
on the frequency of domestic violence calls
(which is high) What is the danger rate? and
how does it compare to other types of crimes - Currently we simply report the raw numbers and
dont compare them based on the frequency of
particular kinds of calls. - Need the data to separate domestic violence calls
from domestic disturbance calls in all FBI reports
43Data not separated for Assaults Only for
Fatalities
44It is clear that
- Domestic violence is a serious social problem.
- Women are primary victims and at significant risk
for both assault and homicide. - Police officers face some risk when dealing with
these calls, but it has been over stated and it
is lower than many other types of calls for
service.