Domestic Violence
Goal: All residents in Saginaw County will be free from domestic violence.
Measure
The number of victims and offenders of domestic violence, victim demographics, and 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.
How Are We Doing?
Saginaw County has had the highest rate of reported domestic violence assaults in the state of Michigan since 2004. This distinction is a reflection of the high rates of poverty experienced in our community. Domestic violence is prevalent in all segments of our society; it is gender, race, and socio-economic neutral.
Domestic violence rates in Saginaw County declined significantly from 2005 to 2009. The total numbers have declined beginning in 2009 significantly (numbers remained at the same levels from 2002-2007). The county average of the population that was a victim of abuse remained below the federal average (<2%).
Although the total numbers of those suffering domestic abuse went down, statistically the percentage remained the same. Women still account for ⅔ of all abuse victims and black females were the most likely segment of the population to suffer abuse.
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.
Comparatively, 1.9% of U.S. citizens were victims of domestic violence or sexual assault in 2007. Both national and Saginaw County statistics are higher than those for Michigan as a whole, where 1% of residents were victims of such crimes.
Domestic violence rates in Saginaw County declined significantly from 2005 to 2009. The total numbers have declined beginning in 2009 significantly (numbers remained at the same levels from 2002-2007). The county average of the population that was a victim of abuse remained below the federal average (<2%).
Although the total numbers of those suffering domestic abuse went down, statistically the percentage remained the same. Women still account for ⅔ of all abuse victims and black females were the most likely segment of the population to suffer abuse.
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.
Comparatively, 1.9% of U.S. citizens were victims of domestic violence or sexual assault in 2007. Both national and Saginaw County statistics are higher than those for Michigan as a whole, where 1% of residents were victims of such crimes.
How Can You Have An Impact?
Hold Batterers Accountable – we often try to find excuses for behaviors we cannot understand. Batterers readily use those excuses to “help” us understand their actions. Alcohol, drugs, stress at work, loss of a job, or head injuries are often reasons given for assaulting their partner.
To combat batterers, we must:
Support Victims of Domestic Violence - Victims often blame themselves, and are constantly trying to figure out what they did to cause the abuse and then work diligently to not repeat offending the batterer. Domestic violence victims cannot control or stop the abuse. Leaving usually makes matters worse: Sixty percent of domestic violence homicides occurred when the victim left.
To assist victims, we must:
Early Intimate Partner Violence Prevention Programs – Batterers believe they have the right to control another person, that their victim does not have free choice. These beliefs are displayed early in life during the teen dating years. Many of the controlling behaviors used by teen batterers are excused as “young love” issues. These behaviors include isolating victims from their friends, constantly contacting the victim, requiring the victim to always be available to them and making critical comments about their physical traits.
To prevent domestic violence, we can:
To combat batterers, we must:
- Ensure our community has adequate police protection to investigate and arrest batterers.
- Treat domestic violence as a violent crime and not let batterers out of jail because of overcrowding. The current policy is that only non-violent offenders can be released from jail due to overcrowding – policy identifies domestic violence as a non-violent offense.
- Impose tougher sanctions for first time offenders. National research has shown that tougher sanctions, weekend jail time, and requiring mandatory 26-week “batterers intervention counseling” for first time offenders increases the likelihood that batterers will change their behavior.
- Support legislation and laws that hold perpetrators of domestic violence accountable for their actions.
Support Victims of Domestic Violence - Victims often blame themselves, and are constantly trying to figure out what they did to cause the abuse and then work diligently to not repeat offending the batterer. Domestic violence victims cannot control or stop the abuse. Leaving usually makes matters worse: Sixty percent of domestic violence homicides occurred when the victim left.
To assist victims, we must:
- Ensure there are adequate resources to assist women who leave abusive relationships. Every victim is different with different needs. Some need shelter, counseling, assistance with the criminal justice system, financial assistance to obtain new housing, a divorce lawyer, or childcare while they work or go to school, or a combination of services.
- Help victims understand that they are not responsible for the abuse. The batterer has repeatedly told them it is their fault. We as a community must be united in our voice that domestic assault is a choice that a batterer make, not the fault of the victim.
- Raise awareness of the National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-787-SAFE (7233).
- Volunteer and/or financially support local domestic violence shelters.
Early Intimate Partner Violence Prevention Programs – Batterers believe they have the right to control another person, that their victim does not have free choice. These beliefs are displayed early in life during the teen dating years. Many of the controlling behaviors used by teen batterers are excused as “young love” issues. These behaviors include isolating victims from their friends, constantly contacting the victim, requiring the victim to always be available to them and making critical comments about their physical traits.
To prevent domestic violence, we can:
- Support “healthy dating relationship” programs and curriculum starting in 5th grade and after school programs and youth groups as opposed to waiting for high school. Kids at this age are starting to talk about girlfriends and boyfriends and in 6th grade schools have after school dances. The subject matter needs to be introduced earlier and repeated throughout middle and high school years.
- Talk with children about healthy relationships, ask questions, and watch for signs of abusive behaviors.
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