NCJ Number
237043
Date Published
November 2011
Length
1 page
Annotation
This fact sheet from the Office of Justice Programs presents an overview on the problem of domestic violence and the work that the U.S. Department of Justice is doing to address it.
Abstract
Basic facts on domestic violence presented in this Fact Sheet include: there were an estimated 2,340 domestic violence fatalities in 2007 involving 1,640 females and 700 males; women experience about 4.8 million intimate partner physical assaults and rapes each year, compared to 2.9 million intimate partner physical assaults for men; and in 2003, domestic violence-related medical and mental health services and lost productivity cost over $8.3 billion. As noted in the fact sheet, domestic violence is "a pattern of abusive behavior in any relationship that is used by one partner to gain or maintain power and control over another intimate partner." The fact sheet also includes a brief discussion on those affected by domestic violence both directly and indirectly, as well as information on the work of the U.S. Department of Justice to combat the problem. Some of these efforts include the National Institute of Justice's (NIJ's) work with the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) on the National Violence Against Women Survey; NIJ's and the CDC's work with the Department of Defense on the National Intimate Partner Violence and Sexual Violence Surveillance System; and the provision of funding by the Office for Victims of Crime to provide assistance to victims of domestic violence.