Ventura County Family Justice Center
Did You Know?
Statistics on Violence and Abuse
Violence and abuse are far too prevalent, with serious, lasting consequences felt not only by the victims, but also by society as a whole. As we continue to work together as a community to change this reality, Ventura County Family Justice Center (FJC) is here to provide compassion, resources and support to facilitate health, healing and hope for innocent victims and their families.
In Ventura County alone, there are approximately 7,000 allegations of domestic violence,i 3,200 allegations of child abuse/neglect,ii 4,700 allegations of elder abuseiii and 345 allegations of adult sexual assault each year.iv
76% of children who grow up in homes with domestic violence end up becoming perpetrators of domestic violence as adults.v
Abuse or neglect of a child increases their likelihood of arrest as a juvenile by 59% and of arrest for a violent crime as an adult by 30%.vi
Men who were exposed to their parents’ violence are twice as likely to abuse their own wives compared to sons of nonviolent parents.vii
Girls who are abused as children are 62% more likely to be abused as adults.viii
The National Institute of Justice estimates that 15% of all law enforcement costs are due to domestic violence, totaling $67 billion per year.ix
About half of all female victims of family violence report an injury of some kind, and about 18% of them seek medical assistance.x
Half of all visitors to family justice centers have been to the ER in the last year.xi
Women who have experienced domestic violence are 80% more likely to have a stroke, 70% more likely to have heart disease, 60% more likely to have asthma and 70% more likely to drink heavily.xii
Battered women account for 25% of women who attempt suicide and 25% of women using psychiatric emergency services.xiii
- Office of the Attorney General, CJSC Statistics: Domestic Violence-Related Calls for Assistance, https://oag.ca.gov/crime/cjsc/stats/domestic-violence.
- Human Services Agency 2019-2020 Annual Report.
- Human Services Agency 2019-2020 Annual Report.
- Ventura County Integrated Criminal Justice Information System query of Sexual Assault Cases submitted for review in 2020.
- Kelly E. Knight et al., Generational Cycles of Intimate Partner Violence in the US: Crime Victim’s Institute Report No. 2013-05.
- *C.S. Wisdom, The Cycle of Violence, research in brief, National Institute of Justice, U.S. Department of Justice.
- Murray A. Strauss et al., Physical Violence in American Families: Risk Factors and Adaptations to Violence in 8,145 Families.
- Alicia Bugarin, The Prevalence of Domestic Violence in California, California Research Bureau.
- Alicia Bugarin, The Prevalence of Domestic Violence in California, California Research Bureau.
- National Crime Victimization Survey, 2013.
- National Family Justice Alliance, 2013 FJC Director’s Survey.
- Adverse Health Conditions and Health Risk Behaviors Associated with Intimate Partner Violence, Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
- P. Salber and E. Taliaferro, The Physician’s Guide to Domestic Violence: How to Ask the Right Questions and Recognize Abuse.
A great myth about domestic violence is that it only impacts the people experiencing it. The reality is that domestic violence incidents have a ripple effect on the entire community. The Family Justice Center is changing the experiences of victims who have yet to experience crime and may even be preventing future crimes.