Have you or someone you know been accused of domestic violence in Tennesse? This can be a very frightening experience and understandably raises many questions. Along with other questions, you might wonder how common domestic abuse arrests or allegations are in Tennessee. Understanding this can be helpful as you approach your defense process.
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation reports that between 2012 and 2014, the vast majority of people charged with domestic violence offenses were charged with simple assault. More than 68 percent of cases featured this charge. Aggravated assault and intimidation were the next two most frequently identified charges. Other charges included rape, kidnapping, stalking and sodomy. While it is most commonly women who allege that they have been the victims of domestic abuse, over 28 percent of allegations in those three years were from men. Female defendants may be in same-sex or opposite-sex relationships.
The statistics revealed that most allegations were made by boyfriends or girlfriends of the alleged offenders with more than 65 percent of cases involving dating partners. Among married or divorced partners, those still legally married were more likely to be involved in domestic abuse charges than those who had already gotten divorced. The state data indicates that 270 fatalities were attributed to domestic violence from 2012 through 2014 but it is not known how many of those were men or women.
If you would like to get more information about domestic abuse or assault charges in Tennessee, please feel free to visit the family and relationship violence charges page of our criminal defense website.
