About half of Kentucky women and 35% of men have been victims of domestic violence, a new report released Friday shows, the first time the commonwealth tracks the data.
The first report of domestic violence 45.3% of women and 35.5% of men have experienced sexual violence, physical violence and/or stalking by an intimate partner in their lifetime.
The report was part of the Republican Party. Senator Whitney Westerfield Senate Bill 271required the Center for Criminal Justice Statistical Analysis to collect data on domestic violence deaths from the Kentucky State Police, the Cabinet Office of Health and Family Services and the Administrative Office of the Courts, and local law enforcement agencies; domestic violence and abuse; dating violence and abuse; and protection orders issued in the Commonwealth.
Prior to this report, domestic violence advocacy groups used the newspaper clipping service to track domestic violence killings.
According to the report In 2022, they were convicted in the District Court of 24 attempted murders and 30 murders of domestic violence.
The numbers are collected through local development districts; In the Bluegrass Area Development District, which is mostly central Kentucky, there were six attempted murders and nine domestic violence homicides in district courts.
For 2022, the report also found:
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Law enforcement officers filed 38,708 JC-3 forms, which are required for any domestic violence report.
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Law enforcement agencies 8,867 people committed domestic violence
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Kentucky State Police served 16,402 warrants.
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Regional domestic violence programs served 16,046 people for domestic violence.
The report tracks the number of charges filed, the outcome of the charges, and the gender and ethnicity of those filing domestic violence reports.
“Quality information is critical to the criminal justice system as we work to improve public safety,” said Justice and Public Safety Cabinet Secretary Kerry Harvey. “Better data will lead to more effective prevention efforts and will be a valuable tool for law enforcement agencies, courts and service providers.”
Domestic violence advocates have long urged the state to collect these statistics to see exactly where the problems are most severe. This 2022 report serves as a baseline for tracking trends that will impact programming.
Kentucky has 15 domestic violence survivor programs. The National Sexual Assault Hotline is also available 24/7 at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE (7233).