Family violence statistics and trends. In Judicial District Nine

FAMILY VIOLENCE STATISTICS AND TRENDS
IN JUDICIAL DISTRICT NINE 2013-2017
JUDICIAL CIRCUIT(S) APPALACHIAN BELL-FORSYTH BLUE RIDGE ENOTAH GWINNETT MOUNTAIN
NORTHEASTERN
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 Nine within the State of Georgia, which is comprised of the Appalachian, Bell-Forsyth, Blue Ridge, Enotah, Gwinnett, Mountain and Northeastern 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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DISTRICT NINE
Judicial Circuits
Appalachian

Enotah Mountain 2

Blue Ridge Bell-Forsyth

Northeastern Gwinnett

STATE OF GEORGIA
Judicial Districts
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Judicial District Nine (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 rose 3.2%. There were 44,921 family violence incidents reported in Judicial District Nine from 2013-2017.

YEARS 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017

# INCIDENTS
8,606 8,608 9,536 9,285 8,884

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 73.5% of the time as it pertains to the relationship of the parties involved in a family violence incident.

RELATIONSHIP

TOTAL INVOLVED

Present Spouse

9,647

Former Spouse

1,295

Parent

3,196

Child

4,304

Step-Parent

550

Step-Child

383

Foster Parent

46

Foster Child

60

Live in Same Household

329

Other

55,069

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Judicial District Nine (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 (78.1%) of the incidents involved either no injuries to the victim (abusive language 28.0%, threats 11.0%, property damage 5.8%) or superficial injuries (33.3%).

ABUSE TYPE # INCIDENTS

Superficial Injuries
Abusive Language

21,559 18,152

Threats

7,149

Property Damage
Gun/Knife Wounds

3,737 474

Sexual Abuse

486

Temporary Disability

382

Broken Bone

223

Permanent Physical Injury

86

Fatal Injury

71

Other

12,475

Weapons Use in Reported Family Violence Incidents

WEAPON Hand/Fist
Knife/ Cutting Tool
Firearm
Other

TOTAL
28,335 1,401 709
14,176

Abusers' hands and fists are the weapon of choice in the majority (63.1%) 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 Nine (2013-2017)

Gender of Offender and Victim in Reported Incidents of Family Violence

GENDER # OFFENDERS # VICTIMS

Female Male
Unknown

15,091 24,045
2,475

28,807 17,466
216

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 Nine (2013-2017)
Race of Offender and Victim in Reported Incidents of Family Violence

Race in Population in District Nine
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RACE

# OFFENDERS

American Indian or Alaska Native

99

Asian

941

Black or African American

14,275

White

23,975

Unknown

3,570

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

# VICTIMS
111 735 14,812
29,761 1,292

Research on the intersection of race and intimate partner violence is limited, but the victim data in Judicial District Nine shows that while African Americans are a smaller percentage of the total population, they are victimized at higher rates than their peers of different racial backgrounds. This finding is in line with national research about the disparate impacts of abuse on Black communities.

Judicial District Nine (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
Victim Drug and Alcohol
Offender Substance Abuse (Total)
Victim Substance Abuse (Total)

1,853 8,295
541 547 4,020 197 10,689 4,764

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, less than half (34.4%) of family violence incidents in District Nine involve alcohol or drug use. Of those that do, it is the abuser that is under the influence 69.2% 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 Nine (2013-2017)

Child Involved or Present in Reported Family Violence Incidents

CHILD INVOLVED Child Involved
No Child Involved

# INCIDENTS
10,859 34,062

CHILD INVOLVED Child Involved
No Child Involved

# INCIDENTS
15,275 29,646

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 Nine (2013-2017)

Police Action Taken in Family Violence Incidents

POLICE ACTION TAKEN Arrested

TOTAL

16,014

Citation

Mediation

104

7,084

None

Separation

2,607 11,011

Other
13,010

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 32.1% of reported police responses. This means that in more than half of responses, preference was given to a different outcome. When we examine these responses by year, the trends show a small increase (1.7%) in the rate of arrest. Even more disconcerting, there has been a significant rise (33%) in the rate of reports in which "none" (no action taken) was the officer's reported response.

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Judicial District Nine (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 Nine, index crimes decreased by 30.4% and family violence incidents increased by 3.2% during the five-year reporting period.

YEARS

TOTAL INDEX CRIMES

TOTAL FV
INCIDENTS

2013 36,090 2014 47,868 2015 35,290 2016 37,411 2017 25,127

8,608 8,608 9,536 9,285 8,884

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

ORDER TYPE

EX PARTE TPO

FAMILY VIOLENCE

10,099

STALKING

2,867

6-MONTH TPO
292 49

12-MONTH TPO
4,128 1,210

3-YEAR MISCELLANEOUS / TOTAL TPOs TPO CRIMINAL ORDER (ALL TYPES)

193

1,160 15,872

259

12

4,397

Not Extended
54.3%

Extended

Not Extended
47.1

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, 20,269 family violence and stalking TPOs were issued in Judicial District Nine. 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 47.3%. The "extension rate" is 7.2% 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 Nine (2013-2017)

Domestic Violence-Related Deaths

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

2013
10 8 7 0
15

2014
13 12
8 0 20

2015
13 9 6 4
21

2016
6 5 2 1 9

2017
25 17
9 3 34

Murder-Suicide Incidents

YEARS

2013 2014 2015 2016 2017

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

57425 11101

# Deaths Resulting
From Incidents 11 15 13 4 11

The homicide-suicide connection in lethal incidents of domestic violence has been well established and represents a prevalent problem in Georgia. Murder-suicides represent 40.3% of fatal incidents of domestic violence in Judicial District Nine, but account for 54.6% 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 Nine (2013-2017)
Cause of Death in Domestic Violence-Related Deaths

YEARS

2013 2014 2015 2016 2017

Firearm Stabbing Blunt Force Asphyxiation

14 13 17 05 1 00 0 00 2

Law Enforcement

Intervention

(Firearm)

01 0

Vehicle

00 0

Other

00 0

Unknown

01 1

6 20 27 03 01
11 00 00 03

Firearms were the leading cause of death in fatal incidents of domestic violence during the five-year reporting period, accounting for nearly three quarters of all known domestic violence deaths in Judicial District Nine [70.0% firearm, 3.0% law enforcement intervention (firearm)]. The high rate of firearms use in fatal incidents of abuse is in sharp contrast to their presence in only 1.6% 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 Nine 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 Nine 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
1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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/.
6. 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.
7. 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.
8. 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/.
9. 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/.
10. 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.
11. Georgia Commission on Family Violence. (2012). Georgia State Plan for Ending Family Violence. https://gcfv.georgia.gov/state-plan-ending-family-violence.
12. 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]