Domestic Violence
Goal:
Measure
There are four measures in this category including 1) Number
of victims and offenders of domestic violence, 2) victim demographics (a) gender and (b) race), and 3) victim
to offender relationships.
Why This Indicator is Important
Domestic violence
and sexual assault contribute to feelings of danger and insecurity in
communities. Community response to incidents of such crimes, whether to
prevent, treat, or prosecute, in part define the level of safety for citizens
who might potentially fall victim to domestic violence and sexual assault. The
most prevalent victim-to-offender relationships include boyfriend/girlfriend,
spouse, and child. Trends indicate that the number of offenders has been lower
than the numbers of reported victims, suggesting that some offenders directly
affect more than one life with their actions.
How Are We Doing?
Midland
County has had a decreasing number of reported victims of domestic violence
(about 1% of its population is a victim of domestic violence), about the same
as the state rate. Domestic violence is prevalent in all segments of our
society; it is gender, race, and socio-economic neutral. Women still account
for almost ¾ of all abuse victims in Midland County and in Michigan. Black females were the
most likely segment of the population to suffer abuse as a percentage of the
total population. Women in Midland County were
twice as likely to be abused versus 75% of women in Michigan. The most prevalent victim-to-offender
relationships include boyfriend/girlfriend, spouse, parent,
ex-boyfriend/girlfriend, and child. Trends indicate that the number of
offenders has been lower than the numbers of reported victims, suggesting that
some offenders directly affect more than one life with their actions. 1.9% of
U.S. citizens were victims of domestic violence or sexual assault between 2009 and 2012.