Chapter 5 Family Violence - TxDPS

1 Chapter 5 FFAAMMIILLYY VVIIOOLLEENNCCEE 2015 CRIME IN TEXAS Family Violence 5 DEFINITION The Texas Family Code defines Family Violence asan act by a member of a Family or householdagainst another member that is intended to result inphysical harm, bodily injury, assault, or a threat thatreasonably places the member in fear of imminentphysical harm.

2 The law excludes the reasonablediscipline of a child and defines abuse as physicalinjury that results in substantial harm or genuinethreat; sexual contact, intercourse, or conduct; or compelling or encouraging the child to engage insexual conduct. By definition and for the purposes of familyviolence reports, Family includes individualsrelated by consanguinity (blood) or affinity,marriage or former marriage, biological parents ofthe same child, foster children, foster parents, andmembers or former members of the same house hold (including roommates). Senate Bill 68 of the77th Legislature amended the Family Code toinclude Dating Violence . The DatingRelationship means a relationship between indi viduals who have or have had a continuingrelationship of a romantic or intimate nature.

3 ANALYSIS Volume The total number of Texas Family Violence incidentsin 2015 was 194,872. This represented a per cent increase when compared to 2014. Theseincidents involved 211,301 victims (up percentfrom 2014) and 205,154 offenders (up percentfrom 2014). 2015 Family 2015 VIOLENC2014 E QUICK % Change STATS Incidents 194,872 185,817 + Victims 211,301 201,051 + Offenders 205,154 195,511 + Victim/Offender Relationships The largest percentage of Family Violence reportswas between other Family members. The secondmost commonly reported relationship amongoffenders and victims was married spouses and thethird most common relationship was common law spouses. RType Group % elationsRelationship of Victim hip of Victim to OffenTotal % der Husband Wife Common Law Husband Common Law Wife Ex Husband Ex Wife Parental / Father Mother Son Daughter Stepfather Stepmother Stepson Stepdaughter Foster Parent Foster Child Other Grandfather Grandmother Grandson Granddaughter Brother Sister Stepbrother Stepsister Male Roommate Female Roommate Male In Law Female In Law Other Male Family Member Other Female Family Member 36

4 2015 CRIME IN TEXAS Family Violence Victims Incidents of Family Violence in 2015 involved211,301 victims.

5 Of the victims whose sex was known, 28 percent were male and 72 percent werefemale. The age group with the highest number ofvictims was the 20 to 24 year old bracket. Of the victims whose ethnicity was known, 37 per cent were Hispanic and 63 percent were notHispanic. For the victims whose race was known,72 percent were White, 27 percent were Black, and1 percent were American Indian, Alaskan Native,Asian, or Native Hawaiian/ Other Pacific the number of White victims, 72 percent werefemale; 73 percent of Black victims were female;71 percent of American Indian or Alaskan Nativevictims were female; and 72 percent of Asian,Native Hawaiian, or Other Pacific Islander victims were female. Family Violence Victims by Age Offenders In 2015, 205,154 offenders were involved in inci dents of Family Violence .

6 Of the offenders whosesex was known, 74 percent were male and 26 per cent were female. The age group showing thehighest number of offenders was the 25 to 29 year old bracket. Of the offenders whose ethnicity was known, 37percent were Hispanic and 63 percent were notHispanic. Of the offenders whose race was known,69 percent were White, 30 percent were Black, and Family Violence Offenders by Age 1 percent were American Indian, Alaskan Native,Asian, Native Hawaiian, or Other Pacific Islander. An examination of offenders by race found that74 percent of the White offenders were male,75 percent of the Black offenders were male,68 percent of the American Indian/Alaskan Nativeoffenders were male, and 73 percent of Asian,Native Hawaiian, or Other Pacific Islander offenders were male.

7 Officer Assaults A serious problem inherent to police interventionand investigation of Family Violence incidents is thepotential for law officers to be assaulted. In 2015,during the course of responding to Family violenceincidents, 206 Texas law officers were assaulted. During the same period, 4,310 assaults were madeon law officers during all types of police activity. Offenses Offense information in the Family Violence programis collected according to federal UCR guidelinesand does not necessarily conform to Texas statedefinitions. Complete offense definitions are avail able in the appendix to this publication. Familyviolence offense information falls into five generalcategories: assaults, homicides, kidnapping/abductions, robberies, and sex offenses.

8 Of the five main categories, assaults accounted for 97% of alloffenses. Information for each individual crime is represented in the chart on the next page. 37 2015 CRIME IN TEXAS Family Violence FAType Group% MILY VOffense IOLENCE OFFENSES Total % Assaults

9 Aggravated Assault Simple Assault Intimidation Homicides Murder & NonnegligentManslaughter Negligent Manslaughter Justifiable Homicide Kidnapping Kidnapping/Abduction Robbery Robbery Sex Offenses Rape Sodomy Sexual Assault w/Object Fondling Incest Statutory Rape Injuries For the purposes of this Family Violence report, thepolice officers who responded to disturbance callsdetermined the extent of injuries and all injurieswere considered to be apparent injuries. If latermedical attention indicated that the injuries weremore or less severe than noted by the respondingofficer, this information is not included in the familyviolence report. The majority of reported injuries(53%) were considered to be minor injuries.

10 Inanother 42 percent of Family Violence reports, no injury was recorded. Major injuries werereported in 5 percent of the cases. Family Violence Major Injuries Of the apparent major injuries, 25 percent weredue to Possible Internal Injuries, 26 percent werefrom Severe Lacerations, 22 percent from OtherMajor Injuries, 13 percent were from Unconscious ness, 11 percent from Broken Bones, and Loss ofTeeth accounted for the remaining 3 percent. Type of Family Violence Injuries Weapons The most common weapon involved in Family vio lence cases was physical force through the use ofhands, feet, and fists (strong arm), whichaccounted for percent of the incidents. TheTexas Family Violence law considers the use ofthreats and intimidation to be serious enough toreport and, thus, percent of the reports werelisted as involving no weapons.