Tennessee Ranks #3 in US Domestic Violence

Tennessee Ranks #3 in US Domestic Violence

According to a study from the Violence Policy Center in Washington,DC, Tennessee ranked third in the nation in 2010 for the rate of women killed by men in domestic violence incidents.

The annual “When Men Murder Women” report is based on data from the FBI.

Tennessee has a rate of 1.91 women killed per 100,000 residents.  The national average is 1.22 deaths per 100,000 people. Nevada ranked number one, and South Carolina was number two.

According to the Tennessee District Attorneys General Conference,

Domestic violence is a pattern of controlling behaviors aimed at gaining power in order to control an intimate partner. Domestic violence is about power and control. It is not just about hitting or punching. It is a pattern of assaultive and coercive behavior, including psychological, sexual and physical abuse. The syndrome of dominance and control by the perpetrator leading to increasing entrapment of the victim is also known as the “battering syndrome.”

Domestic abuse is not just physical abuse. It can also include:

• Emotional abuse, including verbal attacks and coercion
• Isolation from friends and family members
• Threatening to take or harm the couple’s children
• Economic abuse, including requiring a spouse or partner to turn over her entire paycheck
• Sexual abuse, including rape

According to the Tennessee Office of Criminal Justice, in 2011 domestic violence offenses constituted 52.1% of all crimes against persons.  In 2011 there were 84,517 Tennessee victims of domestic violence, 28% of them male and 72% of them female.

In the US as a whole, 84% of spouse abuse victims are female and about 75% of those who commit family violence are male.

58% of Tennessee domestic abuse victims were white, and 41% were African-American.  The largest group of victims was in the 25-34 age bracket.

In most Tennessee domestic violence cases, the victim was a girlfriend, boyfriend, or spouse.  But the state also tracks violence by parents, siblings, children, grandparents, other family members, and ex-spouses.

One in three adolescent girls is a victim of physical, emotional, or verbal abuse from a dating partner.  Teens who are victims of physical dating violence are more likely than other teens to smoke, use drugs, engage in unhealthy dieting behavior (including bulimia), engage in risky sexual activity, and consider or attempt suicide.

A person who is the victim of, or threatened with, domestic violence can seek an Order of Protection.  This does not require a lawyer.  A person can file for an Order of Protection if hit or threatened by a past or present spouse, a child’s other parent, someone the person has lived with, or someone linked to the person by blood or marriage.

An Order of Protection directs the person named not to bother the person protected.  The person protected can have the other person arrested on the spot if the abuse continues.  The order can also require the abuser to move out or pay for another residence for the abused person, or provide other remedies.

It’s important to note that an Order of Protection only applies to adults.  To protect children in danger, an adult can file a petition in Juvenile Court, and a referral will be made to the Tennessee Department of Human Services.

The Tennessee Domestic Violence Shelter provides 24-hour information about a safe place to stay and can be reached at 615-898-7000. 

To learn more, view Domestic Violence & Tennessee Divorce Law | Get Safe Now.

Miles Mason, Sr. practices family law exclusively and is founder of the Miles Mason Family Law Group, PLC, in Memphis, Tennessee. To learn more about him see Miles Mason, Sr.’s professional biography.