Domestic Violence Awareness Month: What You Need To Know
Posted October 3rd, 2016 by Anthony Carbone, PC.
Categories: Domestic Violence.
In case you didn’t know, October is National Domestic Violence Awareness Month. It’s a time when we take a moment to examine how domestic violence not only affects our families but the community as well. According the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, one woman is fatally shot by a spouse, ex-spouse, or dating partner every 14 hours in America. Since January 1 of this year, there have be 473 gun-related domestic violence fatalities in this country.
Looking at the statistics in New Jersey, there was a 7 percent decrease in domestic abuse offenses reported in 2012. However, the number of calls is still a staggering amount – the police responded to 65,050 calls of domestic abuse. Of these offenses, 75 percent of the victims involved a female. Unfortunately, children have been involved in these cases – 29 percent of all domestic violence offenses in 2012 had a child either involved or present.
The laws in New Jersey are quite straightforward when it comes to domestic abuse. According to the law, domestic violence is defined as an occurrence of one or more of the following offenses:
- Homicide
- Assault
- Terroristic threats
- Kidnapping
- Criminal restraint
- False imprisonment
- Sexual assault
- Criminal sexual contact
- Lewdness
- Criminal mischief
- Burglary
- Criminal trespass
- Harassment
- Stalking
The police are required to arrest a suspect for domestic violence if a victim either shows or claims that injury has occurred. The police may also arrest a person if there is probable cause that an act of domestic violence has been committed, even if the victim doesn’t claim an injury. In addition, the police may determine if an emergency temporary restraining order is necessary to protect the victim from any further acts of violence.
If you’ve been a victim of domestic abuse, there is help available. Click here to contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline. If you are in need of legal assistance, we can help. Contact the Law Offices of Anthony Carbone today for a free consultation.
