Domestic Violence

Domestic violence is the willful intimidation, physical assault,  battery, sexual assault, and/or other abusive behavior as part of a  systematic pattern of power and control perpetrated by one intimate  partner against another. It includes physical violence, sexual violence,  threats, and emotional abuse. The frequency and severity of domestic  violence can vary dramatically.

Many times, people live in denial of a bad situation. But the facts are,  domestic violence is the number one cause of injury to women between  the ages of 15 and 44, more than rape, auto accidents and muggings  combined.

You may want to use the following questions to evaluate your present  situation. If you find yourself answering 'yes' to these questions, you  may want to contact us.

1. It was my fault.
2. If I love him enough, he'll change.
3. I deserved it.
4. If I leave, he'll kill me.

1. Embarrass you with bad names or put downs?
2. Control what you do, whom you see or talk to, or where you go?
3. Stop you from seeing or talking to your friends or family?
4. Take your money, make you ask for money, or refuse to give you money?
5. Make all the decisions?
6. Tell you that you are a bad parent or threaten to take away your children?
7. Act like the abuse is no big deal, it's your fault, or deny that it even happened?

1. Feeling afraid that you will be forced to have sex?
2. Feeling afraid that you or your children will get hurt?
3. Feeling that there is nothing that you can do in your life?

Domestic Violence in Arizona

• In Arizona, first- and second-time domestic violence offenders are  not charged with domestic violence; only the third incident is charged  as domestic violence. First and second offenders are charged with  offenses that then have 'domestic violence flags' attached.
• In Arizona in 2010, law enforcement made 25,376 domestic  violence-flagged arrests, an increase of 17.8% over arrests in 2001.  Many other incidents were not reported to police or did not end in  arrests.
• Between 2001 and 2010, when controlling for population, arrests for domestic violence aggravated assault increased 82%.
• The most common sentence for a perpetrator convicted of aggravated domestic violence (third offense) was probation.
• There were 109 domestic violence-related deaths in Arizona in 2014.
• In 2012, Arizona ranked 8th in the nation in femicides per capita.

Did You Know?

• 1 in 3 women and 1 in 4 men in the United States have experienced some form of physical violence by an intimate partner.
• 1 in 3 women and 1 in 7 men in the Arizona have experienced some form of physical violence by an intimate partner.
• On a typical day, domestic violence hotlines receive approximately 21,000 calls, an average of close to 15 calls every minute.
• Intimate partner violence accounts for 15% of all violent crime.
• The presence of a gun in the home during a domestic violence incident increases the risk of homicide by at least 500%.
• 72% of all murder-suicides involve an intimate partner; 94% of the victims of these crimes are female.