Statistical analysis of police data on domestic violence in Goiânia,midwest Brazil: Profile of aggressors and conditions of crimes

Abstract

Domestic violence against women is a persistent challenge for the criminal justice system and is characterized by multiple forms of physical, psychological, sexual, patrimonial and moral aggression. In Goiás State, the Midwest Region of Brazil, in 2022, 25,800 Integrated Care Records (RAIs) were recorded, indicating the magnitude of the phenomenon. This study aimed to analyse the domestic crimes committed in the family context in Goiânia/GO, the state capital, during 2022, describing the sociodemographic profile of the aggressors and examining associations between the criminal type and variables such as age group, time of day, location of crime and color/race. Data from 5,280 records were used, concentrating the analysis on 4,766 cases committed by men. Descriptive statistics, Chi-square (χ²) tests with Cramér’s V effect measure and multinomial logistic regression were applied to evaluate the associations and conditional effects of the independent variables on the criminal type. The results indicate that most crimes occur on residential properties (79.4%) and at night (35.5%), with a predominance of aggressors in the 25–39 age group. The most common criminal type was threat (65.3%), followed by injury (18.4%) and bodily injury (13.0%). Analysis by color/race revealed a greater percentage of brown individuals (56.4%), which is consistent with the local demographic composition. All association tests were statistically significant but with weak magnitudes (V < 0.10), indicating the limited influence of each variable alone on the criminal type. Multinomial logistic regression revealed relevant conditional effects: crimes of bodily injury were more likely in public places, with a higher incidence among aggressors aged 18 to 29 years, whereas other criminal types predominated in older age groups. Compared with the night period, the morning period was associated with a lower relative probability of the occurrence of bodily injury. This study contributes to the detailed characterization of the profile of aggressors and the circumstances of crimes, providing empirical support for intersectoral public policies, prevention of domestic violence and action strategies of security forces in Goiás and integrating demographic, temporal and spatial dimensions of the phenomenon.