Domestic Violence Information Essential Information for Healthy Delaware 2010 Work Group Participants

DV stats are collected by the Delaware State Police. I have compared the 1998 YTD figures with the 1999 YTD figures. In all categories, the criminal incidents are listed first, then the non-criminal incidents.

There are some trends:

While the number of both criminal and non-criminal incidents has risen slightly, there has been a disproportionate increase in the number of female victims for criminal incidents, as well as in the number of female suspects overall and the male suspects for criminal incidents. The total number of criminal incidents rose 3%; the number of non-criminal incidents rose 7%. The number of female victims rose 38% for criminal incidents. The number of female suspects rose 52% for criminal incidents, and 30% for non-criminal incidents. The number of male suspects for criminal incidents rose 64% between 1998 and 1999!!

There is a significant increase (29% over 1998 level) in the number of criminal incidents involving persons active on probation. For non-criminal incidents, the increase was dramatically higher at 51%.

While the number of incidents involving alcohol had declined, the number of incidents involving drugs has increased substantially. For the criminal incidents, there was a 93% increase in the number of incidents with drugs as a facto in 1999 compared to 1998; for non-criminal incidents, the increase was 199%!!.

Further, in the November 1999 Strategic Planning Session, the victims services community and session attendees identified the following high priority areas for targeting with FY2000 funding:

1. Case Management, including case management services and help victim access services, linkage of services, and life transition services
2. Therapeutic Services: Mental Health/Substance Abuse, including Therapeutic services for victims, including female offenders, Long-term therapy, Treatment services for female offenders with language, cultural, or handicap barriers, and Counseling/advocacy for sexual assault victims
3. Legal Services , including 24-hour domestic violence courts, Legal services, a 24 hour domestic violence court, enhanced court and legal services for dv victims, and legal services for poor women, especially immigrant populations
4. Transitional/Housing, including short term, long term and transitional housing, shelter or shelters to serve Dagsboro, Ocean View, Long Neck, Millsboro, Oak Orchard, Rehoboth, and Lewes areas, and transitional housing
5. Court Advocacy, including a hospital advocate program statewide, and onsite advocates in emergency departments in New Castle County and Kent County.