I. What defines a household or family member?
- Spouse or former spouse
- Parent
- Child
- Sibling
- Other family
- Co-habitant
II. Types of Domestic Violence
Psychological Violence:
- Verbal abuse such as threats and name calling; unreasonable possessiveness; isolating the victim from his or her support system such as family and friends; destroying physical property
Physical Violence:
- Domestic abuse assault, domestic abuse assault and battery, domestic abuse strangulation, and domestic abuse with a dangerous weapon
Sexual Abuse:
- Forced sexual advances or attempts at forcing sexual advances
Emotional:
- An attack on an individual’s mental state
Economic:
- Coercion through forced financial co-dependency
III. Penalties for domestic violence convictions
A first-time domestic violence/abuse charge is a misdemeanor, which is punishable by up to 1 year in jail and up to a $5,000 fine. First-time domestic violence offenses can have a much larger penalty, if an aggravating factor is present:
Domestic Abuse in the presence of a minor:
- Minimum of six months in jail
Domestic Abuse, subsequent offense: felony,
- Up to four years in prison
Domestic Abuse with a dangerous weapon:
- Up to ten years in prison
Domestic Abuse with great bodily injury:
- Up to ten years in prison
Domestic Abuse with a firearm or deadly weapon:
- Up to life in prison
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