Abstract
To help resolve a legislative impasse on whether domestic violence victims in North Carolina should be included under new victims' right legislation, data from nine prosecutorial districts were analyzed to assess the nature and extent of domestic violence within the state. Criminal charges, victim-offender relationships, victims' services, and case dispositions are presented. Data extrapolations were conducted to estimate the total annual number of incidents across the state. Results were used to develop a standard definition for domestic violence. Various models, based upon the offense and the victim-offender relationship, were tested to develop a narrower definition of domestic violence to ensure that at least some domestic violence victims would be eligible for compensation under a proposed Victims' Bill of Rights.
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