South Carolina

By the Numbers

Summary

  • In 2019, there were 42 domestic violence homicides in South Carolina.1
  • In 2019, 78.6% (n=33) of domestic violence homicide victims in South Carolina died by firearm.2
  • In 2015, there were 2,810 active protection orders in the National Crime Information Center for South Carolina, 1,912 of which had a disqualifying Brady Indicator.3

Fatalities

In 2019, there were 42 domestic violence homicides in South Carolina, 78.5% (n=33) of whom died by firearms.4

Domestic Violence Homicides
Domestic Violence Homicides in South Carolina, 2010-2019

Notes:

  1. Domestic violence homicide occurs when individuals are murdered by a household member. §16-25-10 defines “household member” as spouses, former spouses, persons who have a child in common, or a male and female who are cohabiting or formerly have cohabited.
  2. For another data source for years prior to 2012, please see The Rule of Thumb: A Five Year Overview of Domestic Violence in South Carolina reports from the South Carolina Department of Public Safety5. Note that these reports use a definition of domestic violence homicide that is broader than the definition of “household member” in state statute. The Rule of Thumb report includes cases where the victim and offender were or had been married, had a familial relationship, or were romantically involved.
  3. Domestic violence homicide data for 2010 through 2019 were extracted from a series of reports from the State of South Carolina Office of the Attorney General.6

Intimate Partner Violence* Victimization and Related Impacts*

The lifetime prevalence* of any contact sexual violence*, physical violence,* and/or stalking victimization* by an intimate partner* in South Carolina is:

Females

42.3% Experienced IPV
57.7% No IPV

Among female victims in South Carolina who experienced contact sexual violence, physical violence, and/or stalking by an intimate partner in their lifetime, 60.7% were concerned for safety, 41.9% were injured, 26.9% needed medical care, and 26.3% needed legal services.16

Males

29.2% Experienced IPV
70.8% No IPV

Statistically reliable estimates of the percentage of male victims in South Carolina who experienced contact sexual violence, physical violence, and/or stalking by an intimate partner in their lifetime who were concerned for safety, injured, needed medical care, or needed legal services are not available.17

Protection Orders Active in the National Crime Information Center for South Carolina, 2006-2015

Domestic Violence Protection Orders

There were 2,810 active protection orders in the National Crime Information Center for South Carolina in 2015, 1,912 of which had a disqualifying Brady Indicator.18

Protection Orders in the National Crime Information Center
Protection Orders with Disqualifying Brady Indicator

Note:

State participation in the National Crime Information Center protection order file is voluntary, thus the extent to which states enter the orders into the system varies. Regardless of how each state refers to such orders, these records are uniformly referred to as “protection orders” in the National Crime Information Center database.

Definitions

  • Contact sexual violence: Combined measure that includes rape, being made to penetrate someone else, sexual coercion, and/or unwanted sexual contact.
  • Domestic violence homicide: In South Carolina, domestic violence homicide occurs when an individual is murdered by a household member. §16-25-10 defines “household member” as spouses, former spouses, persons who have a child in common, or a male and female who are cohabiting or formerly have cohabited.
  • Intimate partner: Romantic or sexual partner and includes spouses, boyfriends, girlfriends, people with whom they dated, were seeing, or “hooked up.”
  • Intimate partner violence: The five types of intimate partner violence measured in the NISVS include sexual violence, stalking, physical violence, psychological aggression, and control of reproductive/sexual health. Sexual violence includes rape, being made to penetrate someone else, sexual coercion, unwanted sexual contact, and non-contact unwanted sexual experiences.
  • Intimate partner violence related impacts: For each perpetrator of domestic violence, the NISVS survey asks victims about specific direct impacts related to intimate partner violence to better understand the consequences of contact sexual violence, physical violence, and/or stalking by an intimate partner.
  • Lifetime prevalence:Proportion of a population who, at some point in life, have ever experienced the characteristic or condition.
  • Protection orders with a disqualifying Brady Indicator: Protection orders related to domestic violence that have been identified as those that prohibit the individual from receiving or possessing firearms under federal law.
  • Physical violence: A range of behaviors from slapping, pushing, or shoving to severe acts that include being hit with a fist or something hard, kicked, hurt by pulling hair, slammed against something, tried to hurt by choking or suffocating, beaten, burned on purpose, or used a knife or gun.
  • Stalking victimization: Pattern of harassing or threatening tactics used by a perpetrator that is both unwanted and causes fear or safety concerns in the victim.

This page was updated May 10, 2021. Please note that data used are the most recent available data.