Cases in adult criminal courts involving intimate partner violence: highlights

[Full article in HTML] [Full article in PDF]

• Between 2005/2006 and 2010/2011, intimate partner violence (IPV) accounted for about six in ten (57%) completed adult criminal court cases resulting from violent criminal incidents reported by police.
• Over the six year period, the victim was female in about two-thirds of all completed adult criminal court cases that involved violence. The proportion was higher among cases involving intimate partner violence, where 85% of victims were female, and 15% male. In cases not involving intimate partners, 57% of victims were male.
• Of completed cases with a female victim, just under three-quarters (72%) were cases with intimate partner violence, compared to 25% for cases involving male victims.
• Of completed cases involving police reported intimate partner violence, 54% involved violence between dating partners and 46% involved spousal violence. Just under one-quarter (24%) of all cases involving intimate partners involved violence which occurred after a break-up.
• Cases of intimate partner violence involving a male accused more frequently involved multiple charges than those with a female accused (60% compared to 44%).
• The median length of time to complete an intimate partner violence case (124 days) was shorter than that for cases which did not involve intimate partner violence (non-IPV) (151 days).
• Most completed cases involving violent offences (both IPV and non-IPV) led to a guilty verdict on at least one charge. A slightly larger proportion of non-IPV cases (64%) resulted in a guilty verdict than did IPV cases (60%).
• Probation was the more serious sentence imposed in just under half (49%) of intimate partner violence (IPV) cases with a guilty decision. About one-third (31%) of IPV cases with a guilty decision resulted in a sentence of custody. Breach of probation, sexual assault, and major assault were the types of offences most likely to result in a custody sentence among guilty intimate partner violence cases.
• Males accused in cases involving intimate partner violence were sentenced to custody more frequently than female accused (33% compared to 14%), reflecting the larger proportion of IPV cases with multiple charges involving male accused.
• The majority (85%) of cases involving intimate partner violence resulting in a sentence of custody had a sentence of six months or less. A small proportion (3%) had a sentence of more than one year.