NCJ Number
178046
Journal
Justice Research and Policy Volume: 1 Issue: 1 Dated: Spring 1999 Pages: 51-66
Date Published
1999
Length
16 pages
Annotation
To help resolve a legislative impasse on whether domestic violence victims in North Carolina should be included under new victims' rights legislation, data from nine prosecutorial districts were analyzed to assess the nature and extent of domestic violence within the State.
Abstract
Working with the Conference of District Attorneys, the Governor's Crime Commission convened a representative nine-member committee to develop background information for legislation pertinent to victims' rights for domestic violence victims. As part of its work, the study committee requested that each of the State's prosecutorial districts that have specialized domestic violence courts provide statistical information on every domestic violence case that was processed within that jurisdiction between September 1, 1997, and December 31, 1997. A total of 3,419 cases were submitted for this 4-month period by 9 of the State's 10 prosecutorial districts surveyed. Data were obtained on criminal charges, victim-offender relationships, victims' services, and case dispositions. Data extrapolations were conducted to estimate the total annual number of incidents across the State. Results were used to develop a standard definition for domestic violence. Various models, based upon the offense and the victim-offender relationship, were tested to develop a narrower definition of domestic violence to ensure that at least some domestic violence victims would be eligible for compensation under a proposed Victims' Bill of Rights. Based on the descriptive analyses and the statewide extrapolations, the committee decided to include seven offenses in its proposed definition. These are assault on a female, assault with a deadly weapon, assault with the intent to inflict serious injury, simple assault, assault by pointing a gun, domestic criminal trespass, and stalking. The committee also determined that one of the following three relationship categories should be present for the previous offenses to qualify as a domestic violence crime. These are persons who are current or former spouses, persons who live or have lived together in an intimate relationship, and persons who have or are expecting a child in common. 4 tables and 16 references