What is the legal definition of domestic or family violence?
The legal definitions of domestic or family violence are not all the same. Some definitions are more restrictive than others. How states define “household member” or “intimate partner” can vary. The definition varies by jurisdiction and may include elder abuse, child abuse, abuse between same-sex partners, and dating violence. Women’s Law.org provides the legal definition of domestic violence in all 50 states through their searchable database. The National Center for State Courts’ State Court Guide to Statistical Reporting defines “domestic violence” as “a subcategory of criminal cases involving violence, coercion, or intimidation by a family or household member against another family or household member that could result in the filing of felony or misdemeanor charges, the issuance of a civil protection order, or an action for civil damages. Family or household members include: (a) persons who are current or former spouses; (b) persons who are intimate partners who live together or who
The legal definitions of domestic or family violence are not all the same. Some definitions are more restrictive than others. How states define “household member” or “intimate partner” can vary. The definition varies by jurisdiction and may include elder abuse, child abuse, abuse between same-sex partners, and dating violence. Women’s Law.org provides the legal definition of domestic violence in all 50 states through their searchable database. The National Center for State Courts’ State Court Guide to Statistical Reporting defines “domestic violence” as “a subcategory of criminal cases involving violence, coercion, or intimidation by a family or household member against another family or household member that could result in the filing of felony or misdemeanor charges, the issuance of a civil protection order, or an action for civil damages.
