TULSA, Okla. — In the last four months, 2 News covered around 15 domestic violence killings around Green Country.
In just the cases we've documented since April, 29 people lost their lives to domestic violence. We reached out to local experts to learn more about these statistics and why domestic violence is so prevalent.
THE NUMBERS:
The Domestic Violence Intervention Services said Oklahoma ranks first in the country for the most domestic violence cases per capita. Oklahoma is third in domestic violence homicides.
The most recent annual report from the Oklahoma Domestic Violence Fatality Review Board (OKDVFRB) details domestic violence in Oklahoma during 2021.
That year, 134 died from domestic violence. 118 of those were victims — 75 men and 43 women. Of the 43 female victims, all 31 adult victims were killed by a man.
Of the 68 adult male victims, 57 were killed by men, and 10 were killed by women.
The review board reported 110 domestic violence homicide perpetrators, 92 were men and 18 were women. 16 of the 110 perpetrators died. Perpetrator deaths are caused by law enforcement action, bystander or Good Samaritan intervention, or suicide.
Since 2011, on average, 24,864 domestic abuse incidents were reported per year. The review board says those numbers are likely much higher, as they can only count those reported to police. Victims often don't feel comfortable or may not be able to contact police.
Victims' ages ranged from 2 months old to 86 years old. The most common type of perpetrator-to-victim relationship was a familial relationship, making up 56.1% of cases. The next most common is an intimate partner — accounting for 21.1% of cases.
A rise in protective orders has also been documented. From 2020 to 2021, there was an 8.4% increase, with 22,500 protective orders being filed.
WHAT THE EXPERTS SAY:
In 2022, the OKDVFRB highlighted two recommendations for limiting domestic violence in Oklahoma.
Amending Oklahoma Statue 22 O.S. §1602:
The OKDVFRB wants to add the Director of the Oklahoma Department of Corrections to the review board to have a better perspective on correctional services offered to domestic violence offenders and to make it easier to collect records for analysis. National data says 76.9% of female victims from 2005-2010 were previously victimized by the same offender.
"The OKDVFRB often found itself not having information on the offender’s time in DOC custody or supervision or having questions about DOC processes and procedures for offenders in custody or under supervision for domestic abuse crimes," the recommendation reads. "This led to discussions on whether there were missed opportunities to address an offender’s repeated domestic violence perpetration before being released back to society."
The board said this recommendation has been brought up since its creation in the early 2000s. They said since then, about a dozen recommendations have been made on ways to improve domestic violence screening and intervention opportunities, but little to no progress has been made toward implementing them.
Increasing law enforcement's compliance with lethality assessment protocol (LAP): First passed in 2014, LAP is a collaboration between law enforcement and domestic violence service providers and is geared towards providing victim-survivors of intimate partner violence (IPV) with advocacy services at the scene of a police-involved IPV incident. The protocol is modeled after one developed by the Maryland Network Against Domestic Violence.
New language to the protocol statute requires officers on domestic violence calls to implement a referral process to a domestic violence advocate from an Attorney General certified or tribal program.
"In 2022, the OKDVFRB reviewed cases in which law enforcement did not conduct the LAP on the scene of domestic violence incidents occurring prior to the fatality incident," the report reads.
To combat this, the OKDVFRB identified several major law enforcement conferences held every year and suggests using those as an opportunity to better educate officers on LAP legislation and the importance of increasing victim safety. It also suggests amending 70 O.S. §3311.4 to require every full-time and reserve officer to complete at least one hour of mandatory LAP CLEET training every year as part of their annual certification requirements.
"This approach already aligns with what is currently done with courses mandated by state law to be taken on a regular basis, such as training regarding missing persons [74 O.S. §151.3(L)] and sexual assault response [70 O.S. §3311.4(A)]," the report reads.
TIMELINE OF RECENT DOMESTIC VIOLENCE KILLINGS:
If you or someone you know is suffering from domestic violence, here is a list of resources:
- 24-Hour Oklahoma Safeline: 800-522-7233
- Oklahoma Coalition Against Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault: 405-524-0700
- Native Alliance Against Violence: 405-217-0212
- Oklahoma Attorney General Victim Services: 405-521-3921
- Family Safety Center: 918-743-5763
- Domestic Violence Intervention Services: 918-743-5763
- The Spring Shelter: 918-245-4075
- Safenet Services: 918-341-9400
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