Collaborative Commission on Domestic Violence Releases 2021 Report
Published on October 20, 2022
SAN ANTONIO (October 20, 2022) – Today, the Joint City County Collaborative Commission on Domestic Violence (CCDV) released the 2021 Annual Statistical Report. This is the second year the CCDV compiles the data provided by its members with the intent of providing a complete picture of the state of domestic violence in Bexar County.
The intent of this report is to raise awareness about domestic violence by providing the statistics compiled by law enforcement, the criminal justice system, non-profits, and healthcare system. The report is a collection of data sources, however today, these sources are not linked to each other in a manner that would present a complete view of the cycle of Domestic Violence. The 2021 Report builds upon the work done in 2020 and will continue to evolve as the CCDV collaborates with its partners.
The indicators included in the report allow the reader to gain a clearer, more comprehensive understanding of the way domestic violence impacts survivors, children, and offenders each year. The report allows to examine common forms of measurement, or shared indicators, of the state of domestic violence in our community and provides key findings from each of the reporting entities.
“As a community, we are committed to ending domestic violence and ensuring that all victims have the resources they need to not just survive but thrive,” said Deputy City Manager Maria Villagomez, co-chair of the CCDV. “We’ve made strides in establishing new resources, building stronger networks of support with non-profits and partners, as well as raising awareness about the signs of domestic violence, but there is still much more work to do.”
“The CCDV’s Annual Data Report provides our community a much-needed tool for transparency, accountability, and evaluation of the complex issue of domestic violence in Bexar County,” said Judge Monique Diaz, co-chair of the CCDV. “We are committed to a sustained effort to spotlight this important issue and we will continue to work collaboratively to bring healing to survivors, their children, and offenders in furtherance of preventing generational cycles of abuse.”
Calls for service and protective orders
In 2021, 2-1-1 Texas saw a 12% reduction in family violence-related calls. However, SAPD did see a 5% increase in family violence calls and a 20% increase in family violence incident reports filed between 2020 to 2021. There were 22 family violence homicides, down from 30 in 2020. The Bexar County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO) saw a 17% increase in family violence calls and two family violence homicides, down from six in 2020. BCSO patrols 16 unincorporated districts in Bexar County.
The Bexar County District Attorney’s Family Violence Division and Protective Order Division saw a 23% increase of protective order petitions filed in Civil District Courts. There was also a 5% increase in incoming felony family violence and sexual assault bookings and a 10% increase in misdemeanor family violence bookings. There was a 7% decrease in family violence and sexual assault indictments.
The Center for Health Care Services, which serves as the local mental health authority saw an increase of 4.7% for adults and 9.2% for children who have witnessed family violence.
Resources for victims and the community
In 2021, the CCDV collaborated with the Southwest Texas Regional Advisory Council (STRAC), University Health, BCSO, Family Violence Prevention Services and the San Antonio Metropolitan Health District to launch a navigation line to identify and assist victims of domestic violence who may be at a higher risk for lethality. Of the 371 calls to the navigation, 24% were identified as high-risk. They were encouraged to seek shelter and help immediately. Of those high-risk cases, 45% sought shelter at the Battered Women’s and Children’s Shelter, a hotel or with friends and family. They also shared that having a safe destination was incorporated into their safety planning.
In addition, the Bexar County Community Supervision and Corrections Department supervised more than 20,000 court-ordered violence misdemeanor and felony cases.
As part of efforts to educate the community about the extent and often deadly consequences of domestic violence, the Putting an End to Abuse through Community Efforts (P.E.A.C.E.) Initiative provided more than 580 educational trainings, sessions and speaking engagements to the community and medical, child protection, social service and other community stakeholders.
Family Violence Prevention Services provided shelter, transitional housing, counseling and legal services to 5,297 clients in 2021. The Texas RioGrande Legal Aid, which provides free legal services to low-income persons, also conducted more than 1,300 domestic violence and family law intakes.
The CCDV was established in 2019 to formally convene local leaders in government, the judiciary, law enforcement, prosecution, non-profits, education, and health care organizations to prevent and improve responses to domestic violence in Bexar County.
The report can be found at this link.
For anyone experiencing domestic violence, please call the Family Violence Prevention Services 24/7 Hotline at 210-733-8810 or the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE (7233).