Magnitude and Patterns of Family and Intimate Assault in Atlanta, Georgia, 1984

A sample of police incident reports was used to examine the magnitude and patterns of family and intimate assault involving weapon use or threat, bodily force, or verbal threat of assault in a defined urban population during 1984. More than half of the incidents involved partners (spousal and nonspo...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Violence and victims 1990-04, Vol.5 (1), p.3-17
Main Authors: Saltzman, Linda E., Mercy, James A., Rosenberg, Mark L., Elsea, William R., Napper, George, Sikes, R. Keith, Waxweiler, Richard J.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Atlanta, Georgia
Behavioral Sciences
Biological and medical sciences
Child abuse & neglect
Counseling
Couples
Criminal investigations
Criminal statistics
Disease control
Disorderly conduct
Divorce
Domestic violence
Emergency medical care
Family Relations
Family Violence
Interpersonal Relations
Marriage and Family Counselling
Medical personnel
Medical sciences
Police discretion
Policy, Social Justice, and Human Rights
Psychology
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychopathology. Psychiatry
Social and Personality Psychology
Social Work
Uniform Crime Reports
Victimology
Violence
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Summary:A sample of police incident reports was used to examine the magnitude and patterns of family and intimate assault involving weapon use or threat, bodily force, or verbal threat of assault in a defined urban population during 1984. More than half of the incidents involved partners (spousal and nonspousal), about a fourth involved prior or estranged partners, and the remainder involved family members and relatives. The 1984 rate of nonfatal family and intimate assault was estimated at 837 per 100,000 population-the fatal rate was 7 per 100,000 population. Fatal and nonfatal victimization rates for blacks and other races were three times the rates for whites. Fatal incidents predominantly involved handguns, and nonfatal incidents most often involved bodily force. Most nonfatal victims (66%) and some perpetrators (13%) suffered physical injuries. Data on prior police contacts suggest that family and intimate assaults occur within a context of repeated violence. Information about prior incidents might contribute to preventive efforts by identifying people at high risk of being victims or perpetrators.
ISSN:0886-6708
1945-7073
DOI:10.1891/0886-6708.5.1.3