Domestic and Sexual Violence in Virginia - Virginia Attorney General

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Despite the statistics from the Virginia Department of StatePolice, however, incidents of sexual violence go largelyunreported to law enforcement agencies. According toinformation captured and analyzed by the Virginia Sexualand Domestic Violence Action Alliance (VSDVAA), fewerthan half of the individuals who sought sexual violencecrisis services in Virginia had reported the incident to lawenforcement. In addition, 28% of sexual offenses actuallyreported to law enforcement involved victimization bya family or household member or by an intimate datingpartner. However, two out of three adults who receivedservices from a sexual violence crisis center in 2007indicated that they were the victims of sexual violenceat the hands of a family member, including a spouse and/or cohabiting partner. (Figure 4) Further, 43% of thechildren who sought services were sexually violated bytheir parent, step-parent, or parent’s intimate partner, andan additional 23% were victimized by another family orhousehold member. 29 (Figure 6)Domestic violence also results in a significant number ofcharges for crimes including assault and battery, stalking,and protective order violations. In 2007, 22,515 chargeswere filed across the Commonwealth for assault andbattery against a family or household member. Of thecharges filed, 4,670, or 21%, resulted in convictions. 30In addition to these charges, a significant number ofindividuals were charged as repeat offenders. There were1,176 felony charges for third or subsequent offenses ofassault and battery against a family or household member,resulting in 516 (44%) convictions. 31 Also during 2007,a total of 927 charges were filed for stalking, resultingin 181 convictions. 32 Additional charge and dispositioninformation for assault and battery and stalking offenses isprovided in Appendix A.The number of charges for assault and battery against afamily or household member and for stalking haveremained relatively consistent for the past five years.However, arrests for protective order violations continueto increase. A total of 3,138 arrests for violation of familyabuse protective orders were reported by law enforcementagencies across Virginia, representing an increase of 6% since2006. There has been an overwhelming increase in thenumber of arrests since July 1, 1997, when Virginia Code§ 19.2-81.3 was amended to require law enforcementofficers to arrest for protective order violations. In 1997,there were 26 arrests for protective order violations. Tenyears later, in 2007, there were 3,138 arrests. This representsroughly a 12,000% increase. 33 (Figure 7)In addition, records maintained by the Virginia Departmentof State Police indicate that 1,063 (approximately34%) of the reported protective order arrests in 20074Source: 2007 Sexual Violence Services in Virginia, Virginia Sexualand Domestic Violence Action Alliance
Source: Domestic Violence Services in Virginia, Virginia Sexual and Domestic Violence Action Allianceresulted in convictions. A total of 1,486 arrests (47%)resulted in dispositions categorized as deferred, dismissed,or nolle prossed. No court disposition was recorded forthe remaining 589 arrests. 34 (Appendix A)In addition to criminal caseloads, domestic violence casesimpact the civil dockets of our courts and the magistratesystem. In 2007, a total of 24,331 spousal abuse petitionswere initiated in juvenile and domestic relationsdistrict courts across the Commonwealth. This representsroughly 10% of all domestic cases filed. 35 These petitionsinclude initial petitions for family abuse protective orders,as well as motions to amend or dissolve existing orders.In addition to petitions by victims, magistrates across theCommonwealth issued 29,934 emergency protectiveorders for family abuse incidents. 36Services to Victims of Domesticand Sexual ViolenceWhile domestic and sexual violence cases have a distinctimpact on the criminal justice system, these offenses alsoimpact social services. Domestic and sexual violenceservice providers engage in crisis intervention and providehotline, shelter, and advocacy services to thousands ofvictims and their children each year. Among the advocacyservices provided are: education, safety planning, groupand individual counseling, mental health services, accompanimentto court, referral to legal services, financial andhousing assistance, and transportation.In 2007, domestic violence service providers from 47 localprograms, supported by funding from the Departmentof Social Services, responded to 47,526 crisis situations,including 8,728 in-person requests for crisis services and38,798 hotline calls through Virginia domestic violencehotlines. Local programs also provided advocacy servicesto 5,823 adults and 2,823 children. 37Through public and private funding sources, emergencyand temporary shelter services are provided to thousandsof men, women, and children who are victims ofdomestic violence. In 2007, domestic violence shelterprograms provided 314,480 nights of emergency shelterto 3,640 adults and 2,796 children. On an averagenight in 2007, about 861 adults and children stayed in adomestic violence shelter. 38 However, due to a lack ofbed space, not all victims who requested shelter servicesin 2007 were able to secure shelter accommodations. Atotal of 1,759 families who requested shelter services in2007 had to be turned away. 39 (Figure 8) The availabilityof shelter services for all victims requesting shelter continues to pose a problem for local programs.5
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Page 33 and 34: To accomplish its mission, VSDVAA r
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Page 50 and 51: Carroll CountyFamily Resource Cente
Page 52 and 53: Greene CountySexual Assault Resourc
Page 54 and 55: Mecklenburg CountyMadeline’s Hous
Page 56 and 57: Total Action Against PovertyWomen
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Page 60 and 61: Local FatalityReview TeamsChesterfi
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Domestic and Sexual Violence in Virginia - Virginia Attorney General

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