Recent events involving National Football League players have really drawn a lot of national attention to the topic of domestic violence. These players who have been implicated are in such a high-profile position that such attention is expected. However, do these events show that violence is actually becoming more of a problem in the United States, whether in Colorado or elsewhere?
When you look at the numbers, there are many things to consider. First of all, the numbers now are much smaller than they were back in the 1990s. The Justice Department indicates that things peaked back around 1995, and the assault numbers have fallen by as much as 60 percent since then.
However, the numbers also show that this is not really happening any longer. Most of the drop happened in the decade after 1995, but then things sort of flat-lined after 2004. Since then, though, the numbers have moved around a bit, and the same level of decline has not been noted.
When looking at the numbers from 2013, for example, reports show that there were 360,820 instances of some sort of violence between people who were considered to be intimate. These assaults varied between physical violence and sexual assault. This means that there were close to 1,000 instances, on average, that occurred each day.
This trend show that there are always going to be accusations of domestic violence, though they may not always get as much media attention as they are getting right now. Those who have been accused of domestic violence or any related charges still have every right to get a fair trial, regardless of the allegations against them or the media coverage.
Source: ABC News, “Domestic Violence in US: Data Tells Complex Story” DAVID CRARY, Sep. 24, 2014
