Family violence statistics and trends. In Judicial District Four

FAMILY VIOLENCE STATISTICS AND TRENDS
IN JUDICIAL DISTRICT FOUR 2013-2017
JUDICIAL CIRCUIT(S) ROCKDALE
STONE MOUNTAIN
PUBLISHED DECEMBER 2020

ABOUT THIS REPORT
Family Violence is a systemic issue that impacts all of us and requires a coordinated community response to address. The Georgia Commission on Family Violence (GCFV) recognizes the need for reliable, timely and targeted data about the problem of family violence. We are working to make family violence data accessible to key stakeholders by analyzing specific regions and creating reports reflecting the unique needs of those regions. The data contained in this report represent only reported incidents of family violence in Judicial District Four within the State of Georgia, which is comprised of the Rockdale and Stone Mountain Judicial Circuits. This data should be considered an undercount of the true number of incidents. Due to the intimate nature of family violence, cultural practices and social stigma, family violence is often not reported. Regardless, the trends highlighted in this report can be utilized to inform evidenced-based family violence policies and practices.
ABOUT GCFV
The Georgia Commission on Family Violence is a state agency created by the Georgia General Assembly in 1992 to develop a comprehensive state plan for ending family violence in Georgia. The mission of GCFV is to provide leadership to end family violence by promoting safety, ensuring accountability, and improving justice for generations to come. Charged with the study and evaluation of needs, priorities, programs, policies, and accessibility of services relating to family violence in Georgia, GCFV is led by 37 appointed Commissioners and a staff of seven. GCFV is administratively attached to the Georgia Department of Community Supervision (DCS).
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Stone Mountain
DISTRICT FOUR
Judicial Circuits

DeKalb

Rockdale

Rockdale

STATE OF GEORGIA
Judicial Districts

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Judicial District Four (2013-2017)

Reported Incidents of Family Violence
Over the course of the five-year reporting period, the rate of family violence incidents reported to law enforcement increased 4.9%. There were 14,722 family violence incidents reported in Judicial District Four from 2013-2017. 2015 has an unusually low number of incidents reported indicating the need for further examination of the data in Judicial District Four.

YEARS

# INCIDENTS

2013

7,158

2014

6,710

2015

854

2016

6,695

2017

7,508

Relationship of Parties in Reported Incidents of Family Violence

Georgia's family violence incident report includes multiple fields with the option for an officer to select "other." The definition of "other" has not been properly defined, and the contents of this catch-all category within the data are otherwise unspecified. Clarifying the selection criteria for the category "other" is an area for improvement within the data. This is particularly true given that the response "other" was selected 82.9% of the time as it pertains to the relationship of the parties involved in a family violence incident.

RELATIONSHIP

TOTAL INVOLVED

Present Spouse

5,434

Former Spouse

1,247

Parent

1,866

Child

3,023

Step-Parent

255

Step-Child

179

Foster Parent

28

Foster Child
Live in Same Household

50 478

Other

60,992

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Judicial District Four (2013-2017)

Abuse Types in Reported Family Violence Incidents

Public awareness campaigns often highlight the physical aspects of family violence, featuring images of blackened eyes and bruised bodies. This ignores many other prevalent aspects of family violence. During the five-year reporting period, more than three quarters (76%) of the incidents involved either no injuries to the victim (abusive language 13.4%, threats 12.4%, property damage 11.5%) or superficial injuries (38.7%).

ABUSE TYPE # INCIDENTS

Superficial Injuries
Abusive Language

15,951 5,522

Threats

5,108

Property Damage
Gun/Knife Wounds

4,755 439

Sexual Abuse

473

Temporary Disability

152

Broken Bone

125

Permanent Physical Injury

42

Fatal Injury

31

Other

8,649

Weapons Use in Reported Family Violence Incidents

WEAPON Hand/Fist
Knife/ Cutting Tool
Firearm
Other

TOTAL
21,282 1,083 593 5,967

Abusers' hands and fists are the weapon of choice in the majority (73.6%) of all reported family violence incidents. Weapons use patterns vary significantly between non-fatal and fatal incidents. (See page 13 for more information.)
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Judicial District Four (2013-2017)

Gender of Offender and Victim in Reported Incidents of Family Violence

GENDER # OFFENDERS # VICTIMS

Female Male
Unknown

11,431 17,254
32

22,876 12,380
71

Georgia's definition of family violence, and therefore the family violence incident data contained in this report, includes intimate partner violence along with incidents involving other relationships including parent/child and roommates, but our overall trend falls in line with national research which has revealed that victims of intimate partner violence are disproportionately female and offenders are disproportionately male.

Footnote references are available on page 18.
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Judicial District Four (2013-2017)
Race of Offender and Victim in Reported Incidents of Family Violence

Race in Population in District Four
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RACE

# OFFENDERS

American Indian or Alaska Native

60

Asian

283

Black or African American

23,428

White

3,877

Unknown

415

RACE
American Indian or Alaska Native Asian Black or
African American
White
Unknown

# VICTIMS
39 226 25,776
5,431 726

Research on the intersection of race and intimate partner violence is limited, but national research indicates that family violence has an outsized impact on Black communities. The data in Judicial District Four illustrates this reality, but also shows a significantly higher percentage than the statewide data of both victims and offenders who are Black or African American. This finding needs further scrutiny to understand the data in the context of Judicial District Four.

Judicial District Four (2013-2017)
Substance Abuse in Reported Incidents of Family Violence

SUBSTANCE ABUSE # INCIDENTS

Offender Drug
Offender Alcohol Offender Drug and
Alcohol Victim Drug
Victim Alcohol

336 3,797
138 130 2,832

Victim Drug and Alcohol
Offender Substance Abuse (Total)
Victim Substance Abuse (Total)

76 4,271 3,038

While the co-occurrence of substance abuse and intimate partner violence is common, we must acknowledge that one issue does not cause the other. In fact, only a quarter (25.3%) of family violence incidents in District Four involve alcohol or drug use. Of those that do, it is the abuser that is under the influence 58.4% of the time. More research is warranted in this area of family violence given that local, state and national research all show that abuse is more likely to occur if the offender is under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

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Judicial District Four (2013-2017)

Child Involved or Present in Reported Family Violence Incidents

CHILD INVOLVED Child Involved
No Child Involved

# INCIDENTS
5,592 23,333

CHILD INVOLVED Child Involved
No Child Involved

# INCIDENTS
10,334 18,591

For children, the impact of exposure to intimate partner violence is long-lasting and significant. Unfortunately, the full extent of their exposure to family violence incidents cannot be accurately measured using the law enforcement reporting systems in place during the five-year reporting period. Georgia plans to address this issue under its transition to the NIBRS reporting system in 2018. NOTE: The data included do not reflect the number of children exposed, rather the data reflect the number of reported incidents where one or more children were present or involved.

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Judicial District Four (2013-2017)

Police Action Taken in Family Violence Incidents

POLICE ACTION TAKEN Arrested

TOTAL

10,747

Citation

Mediation

82

5,620

None

Separation

3,950 4,745

Other
13,191

As a preferred arrest state, Georgia officers are not mandated to make an arrest in all family violence incidents. The statute clearly allows officers to arrest one party, even if both parties have used violence. Appropriately identifying the predominant physical aggressor and charging that person is the most effective intervention in family violence incidents. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) data on police action taken in family violence incidents does indicate that arrest is the most frequently occurring outcome, however, arrests represent only 28.0% of reported police responses. This means that in more than two-thirds of responses, preference was given to a different outcome. When we examine these responses by year, the trends show an decrease in the rate of arrest (11.8%) and an increase in the rate of reports in which "none" (no action taken, 135.8%) was the officer's reported response.

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Judicial District Four (2013-2017)
Crime Trends

Index crimes, including assault, burglary, larceny, murder, rape, robbery, and vehicle theft, are used as an indicator of the rate of violent crimes nationally. In Georgia, index crime data are generated from uniform crime reports (UCR) completed by law enforcement officers. These reports are also the source of family violence incident information statewide. Many family violence incidents also qualify as index crimes. Despite some duplication given that overlap, comparing the trendlines of index crimes and family violence incidents provides great insight into our state and local efforts to reduce violent crime. In Judicial District Four, index crimes decreased by 69.1% and family violence incidents increased by 4.9% during the five-year reporting period.

YEARS

TOTAL INDEX CRIMES

TOTAL FV
INCIDENTS

2013 43,226 2014 59,816 2015 39,843 2016 38,581 2017 13,343

7,158 6,710
854 6,695 7,508

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Judicial District Four (2013-2017)
Temporary Protective Orders (TPOs) by Type

ORDER TYPE

EX PARTE TPO

FAMILY VIOLENCE

7,357

STALKING

2,505

6-MONTH TPO
296
67

12-MONTH TPO

3-YEAR TPO

MISCELLANEOUS / TOTAL TPOs CRIMINAL ORDER (ALL TYPES)

2,335

55

790 10,833

992

233

0

3,797

Not Extended
63.5%

Extended

Not Extended
48.4%

Extended

Temporary Protective Orders (TPOs) are an effective tool for victim safety. Research shows the majority of victims report their TPO ended the violence. In many cases, the longer the protective period, the better the outcomes. Between 2013 and 2017, 14,630 family violence and stalking TPOs were issued in Judicial District Four. The overall "extension rate," or the rate at which an emergency (Ex Parte) TPO is extended into a longer-term (6-Month, 12-Month, 3-Year) order, is 40.3%. The "extension rate" is 15.1% higher for stalking cases than for family violence cases. In both types, the "extension rate" is impacted by judicial discretion, failure to legally serve notice of the proceeding to the abuser, lack of legal representation, and victim decisions as to how or whether to proceed with a follow-up hearing.
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Judicial District Four (2013-2017)

Domestic Violence-Related Deaths

YEARS # Fatal Incidents # Victim Deaths # Perpetrator Deaths # Bystander Deaths # Deaths Resulting From Incidents

2013 5 5 1 1 7

2014 7 5 3 0 8

2015 8 6 1 0 8

2016 5 3 1 1 6

2017 12 8 4 1 14

Murder-Suicide Incidents

YEARS

2013 2014 2015 2016 2017

# Completed Murder-Suicide
Incidents
# Attempted Murder-Suicide
Incidents

12111 00001

# Deaths Resulting

From Incidents

24223

The homicide-suicide connection in lethal incidents of domestic violence has been well established and represents a prevalent problem in Georgia. Murder-suicides represent 16.22% of fatal incidents of domestic violence in Judicial District Four, but account for 30.2% of all domestic violence-related deaths in the District. These numbers highlight a need for collaboration between domestic violence and mental health stakeholders.
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Judicial District Four (2013-2017)
Cause of Death in Domestic Violence-Related Deaths

YEARS

2013 2014 2015 2016 2017

Firearm

46

Stabbing Blunt Force Asphyxiation

20 00 01

Law Enforcement

Intervention

(Firearm)

01

Vehicle

00

Other

00

Unknown

10

4 5 13 10 0 10 1 11 0
00 0 00 0 00 0 10 0

Firearms were the leading cause of death in fatal incidents of domestic violence during the five-year reporting period, accounting for three quarters of all known domestic violence deaths in District Four [74.4% firearm, 2.3% law enforcement intervention (firearm)]. The high rate of firearms use in fatal incidents of abuse is in sharp contrast to their presence in only 2.1% of reported family violence incidents in the District, allowing the conclusion that when firearms are present in a family violence incident, the risk of a fatal incident is increased exponentially. This finding has been consistently noted locally and in national research, which reveals a 500% increase in the risk of homicide when an abuser has access to a firearm. NOTE: In some circumstances multiple causes are attributed to a single death. Given that, the total numbers reflected for each cause of death, may be in excess of the numbers of statewide deaths occurring in a given year.

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HOW TO USE THIS REPORT
In June 2020, GCFV published "Family Violence Statistics and Trends in the State of Georgia 2013-2017. The report outlined the prevalence of family violence crimes in Georgia and highlighted the vast numbers of individuals impacted by this issue. Our goal in publishing the statewide statistics was to provide a baseline understanding of the current status of family violence in Georgia. This report contains aggregate data* for Judicial District Four of Georgia, delineating the data according to geographic region to facilitate targeted responses to family violence on the local level. The goal of this report is the provide local leaders with factual information about family violence in their communities, and in turn foster conversations about how to work with your stakeholders to address the issue and prevent future domestic violence related fatalities. The multifaceted nature of family violence requires rigorous use of data on the state and local level to ascertain the systemic gaps that exist in family violence response. Providing comprehensive and targeted reports on family violence throughout Georgia offers an opportunity to cultivate change and develop innovative responses to the issue of family violence. Family violence is a complex issue that requires a coordinated community response to implement change. GCFV's mission is to end family violence in Georgia; the participation of key stakeholders is integral to the success of this mission. Family violence is a systemic issue that needs to be addressed in a multidimensional, data driven, evidence-based manner. This report is a step towards equipping local leaders to do so effectively.
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
PROJECT STAFF
"Family Violence Statistics and Trends in Judicial District Four 2013-2017" was written by Carolynn Brooks (Fatality Review Coordinator) and Niki Lemeshka (Program Manager) of the Georgia Commission on Family Violence.
Data Analysis and project support was provided by Samar Abdelmageed, GCFV Data Analyst, and Doug Bailey of Performance Vistas, Inc.
SPECIAL THANKS
Special thanks go to GCFV's data partners including:
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation for their ongoing support, particularly Director Vic Reynolds, Assistant Director John Melvin, CJIS Operations Manager Lisa Weaver-Johnson, CJIS Analyst Supervisor Crystal Lockhart, and former Georgia Protective Order Registry Program Manager Daryl Beggs
District Attorney's Office Victim Witness Assistance Program directors statewide Domestic violence programs statewide The Georgia Coalition Against Domestic Violence The Criminal Justice Coordinating Council's Statistical Analysis Center This project would not be possible without the financial support of the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council and the project support of current and former GCFV staff and Commission members, particularly former GCFV Executive Director Jennifer Thomas and current Chairwoman Stephanie Woodard.
FINANCIAL SUPPORT
This project was supported by subgrant numbers W19-8-050 and W19-8-052, awarded by the state administering office for the STOP Formula Grant Program. The opinions, findings, conclusions, and recommendations expressed in this publication/program/exhibition are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the state or the U.S. Department of Justice, Office on Violence Against Women.
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DATA SOURCES AND LIMITATIONS
UNIFORM CRIME REPORTS (pages 3-10)
Family Violence Crimes
Data on reported incidents of family violence, weapons use, abuse types, relationship of the parties, gender, race of offender and victim, substance abuse, children, and police action taken (henceforth referred to as "UCR data") were obtained from the Uniform Crime Reporting system administered by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI). GCFV acknowledges that, as law enforcement agencies report outcomes on a rolling basis, UCR data can and will shift over time as reported data comes closer in line with actual rates of occurrence.
We are also aware that the UCR data set contained in this report is incomplete. Over the course of the five years studied, a number of counties reported zero incidents or failed to submit a family violence report to the GBI. Those counties include: Baker (2013, 2015-2017); Clay (2013-2015); Evans (2015); Glascock (2013, 2015, 2016); Jenkins (2014, 2015); Johnson (2013-2017); Lincoln (2016, 2017); Marion (2013); McIntosh (2013-2017); Montgomery (2013-2017); Quitman (2013-2015, 2017); Stewart (2013-2017); Taylor (2014); Telfair (2017); Treutlen (2017); Warren (2016, 2017); and Webster (2014, 2015, 2017).
Further, the data pertaining to the relationship between victim and offender is not known for 2017. That year only, the GBI changed the way it calculated incidents in which the parties "live in the same household." In order to ensure continuity with the previous four years' data, GCFV extrapolated the total it used from 2013-2016 using a linear projection to obtain a figure for 2017. We acknowledge that the 2017 figures on relationships are projections, not actual counts.
Index Crimes
Index crime data were provided by the GBI. The index crime data set contained in this report is substantially complete but, over the course of the five year reporting period, law enforcement agencies in seven of Georgia's 159 counties reported zero index crimes or failed to submit index crimes to the GBI. The following counties failed to report their statistics during one or more years between 2013 and 2017: Baker (2015, 2016, 2017); Chattahoochee (2017); Clay (2013, 2015); Glascock (2013); Jenkins (2014); Johnson (2017); and Montgomery (2013, 2015, 2016, 2017).
Data on "Race in Population of Georgia" were obtained from the US Census Bureau's projections for the year 2017.
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TEMPORARY PROTECTIVE ORDERS (page 11)
Temporary Protective Order (TPO) data was obtained from the Georgia Protective Order Registry, administered by the Georgia Crime Information Center (GCIC) of the GBI.
The "extension rate" from Ex Parte to longer-term TPO, assumes that each Ex Parte order is eligible to qualify for extension to a longer-term order. The rate is determined through comparison of the total of longer-term orders, including 6-Month, 12-Month, and 3-Year orders of each type, family violence and stalking, to the total number of Ex Parte orders of each type within the reporting period. The rate represents a general trend within the report types, and GCFV acknowledges that individual case outcomes were not tracked.
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE-RELATED DEATHS (pages 12-13)
Domestic violence-related death data, including murder-suicide data, and cause of death in fatal incidents is collected through GCFV's Fatality Review Project using media monitoring and independent verification of deaths, supported by domestic violence programs and Victim Witness Assistance Programs in District Attorney's Offices statewide.
The data consist of intimate partner violence-related deaths, including those in which one intimate partner kills another intimate partner, a bystander is killed during an active domestic violence incident, an intimate partner completes suicide during or immediately following a domestic violence incident, or an intimate partner is killed by law enforcement responding to a domestic violence incident or while serving a family violence warrant or TPO.
For our purposes, the term "intimate partner" is intended to reflect that the domestic violence victim and perpetrator fall into one of the following relationships: dating or formerly dated, married or formerly married. This definition varies from state statute as it pertains to family violence, in that current Georgia law excludes dating partners from those categorized as "family violence" unless those parties have a common child or have resided in the same home.
The data also include information on domestic violence incidents that resulted in the death of a bystander. These deaths are most often reported to involve an act of revenge by the perpetrator, or the individual being present during the homicide of the intimate partner victim. Bystanders most often fall into one of the following groups: a new partner/spouse, family member, friend, child, public bystander/witness, or intervener such as law enforcement.
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CITATIONS
Catalano, S. (2015). "Intimate Partner Violence, 19932010." U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Statistics special report, revised September 29, 2015. Retrieved from https://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/ipv9310.pdf. Cho, H. (2012). Racial Differences in the Prevalence of Intimate Partner Violence Against Women and Associated Factors. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 27(2), 344363. https://doi.org/10.1177/0886260511416469. Temple, J.R., Stuart, G.L., O'Farrell, T. J. (2009). "Prevention of Intimate Partner Violence in Substance-Using Populations." Substance Use & Misuse, 44(9/10), 13181328. Gilchrist, G., & Hegarty, K. (2017). "Tailored integrated interventions for intimate partner violence and substance use are urgently needed." Drug & Alcohol Review, 36(1), 3. doi:10.1111/dar.12526. Lemeshka, N., & Thompson Tabb, T. (2018). Final Edition | 2018 Annual Report: Georgia Domestic Violence Fatality Review Project. Georgia Commission on Family Violence | Georgia Coalition Against Domestic Violence, 44-47. http://georgiafatalityreview.com/reports/report/2018-report/. Investigation of family violence; preparation of written report; review of report by defendant arrested for family violence; compilation of statistics, Official Code of Georgia Annotated 17-4-20.1. (Current through the 2019 Regular Session of the General Assembly and HB 276 and HB 444 of the 2020 Regular Session of the General Assembly) https://advance.lexis.com/api/document/collection/statutes-legislation/id/5YVC-T181-JW5H-X1W300008-00?cite=O.C.G.A.%20%C2%A7%2017-4-20.1&context=1000516. Logan, T., & Walker, R. (2009). "Civil Protective Order Outcomes: Violations and Perceptions of Effectiveness." Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 24(4), 675, 677. Retrieved from http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/0886260508317186. Lemeshka, N., Thompson Tabb, T., & Aszman, J. (2017). 2016 | 13th Annual Report: Georgia Domestic Violence Fatality Review Project. Georgia Commission on Family Violence | Georgia Coalition Against Domestic Violence. http://georgiafatalityreview.com/reports/report/2016-report/. Lemeshka, N., & Thompson Tabb, T. (2018). Final Edition | 2018 Annual Report: Georgia Domestic Violence Fatality Review Project. Georgia Commission on Family Violence | Georgia Coalition Against Domestic Violence, 23-27. http://georgiafatalityreview.com/reports/report/2018-report/. Zeoli, A. (2017). "Non-Fatal Firearm Uses in Domestic Violence." Battered Women's Justice Project. Retrieved from http://www.preventdvgunviolence.org/nonfatal-gun-dv-zeoli-.pdf. Georgia Commission on Family Violence. (2012). Georgia State Plan for Ending Family Violence. https://gcfv.georgia.gov/state-plan-ending-family-violence. U.S. Census Bureau (2019). 2017 Race in Georgia. Retrieved from https://data.census.gov/cedsci/.
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For More Information Contact: GEORGIA COMMISSION ON FAMILY VIOLENCE
2 MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. DRIVE, SUITE 470 EAST TOWER ATLANTA, GA 30334
(404) 657-3412 GCFV.GEORGIA.GOV GEORGIAFATALITYREVIEW.COM
24-HOUR STATEWIDE FAMILY VIOLENCE HOTLINE: 1(800)33-HAVEN [1(800)334-2836]