Domestic Violence

such as:

• Assault or battery against a spouse;
• Spousal abuse,
• Elder abuse by a family member; and
• Child abuse or neglect.

Domestic violence includes violent confrontations between family members. It does not have to involve the use of weapons like knives or guns and does not have to cause permanent physical injuries to any person. In fact, many types of domestic violence involve abuse which does not necessarily show on the body of the victim, like sexual, emotional, and financial abuses. In some situations, abuse which does not result in an obvious physical injury to the victim can result in higher penalties, like domestic violence battery with strangulation because it can be lethal and also hidden from view.