Maryland Battered Spouse Report, January 1, 1979-December 31, 1979

• NCJ Number: 74917
• Author(s): H W Dashiells; L Edwards; W Wells; E H Whiteman; V J Konsavage; R J Spangler; E Mercer; B Shapiro
• Date Published: Unknown
• Length: 22 pages
• Corporate Author: Maryland State Police
• Publication Format: Document
• Publication Type: Statistics
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

Statistical information collected by the Maryland Battered Spouse Program regarding battered spouses for the period January 1, 1979, through December 31, 1979, is presented.

Abstract

The main goal of the Maryland Battered Spouse Program is to furnish the legislature with statistics on battered spouses. Information for the report is gathered monthly from each law enforcement agency's record of complaints, investigation, and arrests. A total of 9,676 spousal assaults were reported to law enforcement agencies during 1979. Saturday showed the highest percentage of spousal assaults and 51.5 percent occurred between 4 p.m. and midnight, with another 19.4 percent occurring between midnight and 4 a.m. A total of 2,119 assaults were aggravated assaults, while nonaggravated assaults accounted for 78.1 percent. In Maryland, spousal assault victims were female in 88.7 percent of all cases. The largest number of assault victims occurred in the 25-29 age group, 21.9 percent of the total. The statistics showed that 67.2 percent of the total spousal assaults occurred while spouses were living together, while 15.2 percent were estranged. In 35.1 percent of the cases, argument led to assault. In 28.3 percent, no reason was given for the assault. An alcohol-related situation accounted for 15.1 percent of the total. In 1979, 53.2 percent of all spousal assault cases reported to law enforcement agencies were resolved through arrest or exceptional clearance. Tabular data accompany the report.