Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, June 25, 1994 TAG: 9406280091
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A-3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: BOSTON LENGTH: Medium
While the O.J. Simpson case has focused attention on what advocates say is escalating domestic violence, federal crime figures show the rate of domestic homicide is actually in decline.
The overall rate of women killed by husbands or boyfriends has dropped 18 percent since the late 1970s. More dramatic is the decline in such murders of black women; they are down 41 percent since 1976.
``These declines are substantial, particularly when compared to peoples' perceptions,'' said James Alan Fox, the dean of Northeastern University's College of Criminal Justice who analyzed FBI crime statistics and census data for the study. ``It's a tragedy when it happens, but it's not happening any more now.''
Fox and others believe the decline in murders reflects heightened awareness of domestic violence. That awareness has translated into tougher laws, more aggressive enforcement and an increase in the number of shelters for battered women.
Murder is just the tip of the iceberg, however. From 1980 to 1990, federal figures show, reports of domestic assault - cases of violence that fall short of murder - rose from 2 million to 4 million, according to Rita Smith, coordinator for the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence.
Fox was quick to note that the declining homicide figures do not mean domestic violence overall is on the wane. He looked only at homicides.
But he said the study suggests that more and more cases of domestic violence are being dealt with before they escalate into murder.
``What it basically suggests is that, in the last 15 years, many more programs, from shelters to restraining orders, have come into place,'' he said. ``Women do have alternatives other than to stay in an abusive situation.'' Joan Zorza, senior attorney with the National Center on Women and Family Law, said the first law specifically dealing with domestic violence was passed by Pennsylvania in 1976. By 1989, similar laws were on the books of all states.
``There's no question they have a positive effect,'' she said.
Fox looked at 36,100 murders of women ages 18 to 34 from 1976 to 1992, the most recent year for which figures are available. A third of those murders were attributed to boyfriends, husbands or ex-partners. That proportion jumped to nearly half of all the murders when Fox factored out unsolved cases where the identity of the murderer was not known.
While the O.J. Simpson murder case has given some the impression that domestic violence is a national crisis growing out of control, Fox's study shows a gradual decline in the rate of domestic murders over the past 18 years.
Overall, the murder rate dropped from 2.47 per 100,000 in 1976 to 1.90 per 100,000 in 1991. It rose slightly, to 2.08 in 1992.
Domestic murders among black women went from 10.25 per 100,000 in 1976 to 5.19 per 100,000 in 1991 before rising to 6.02 in 1992. The murder rate among white women stayed basically the same.
Zorza said that some 40 percent of restraining orders are effective in halting spousal violence.
by CNB