Washington

By the Numbers

Summary

  • In 2019, there were 50 domestic violence murders and non-negligent homicides in Washington.1
  • In 2015, there were 50,688 active protection orders in the National Crime Information Center for Washington, 23,924 of which had a disqualifying Brady Indicator.2

Fatalities

Between 2010 and 2019, there were 539 domestic violence murders and non-negligent homicides* in Washington.

In 2019, there were 50 domestic violence murders and non-negligent homicides in Washington.3

Domestic Violence Murders and Non-Negligent Homicides
Domestic Violence Murders and Non-Negligent Homicides in Washington, 2010-2019

Notes:

  1. According to the Crime in Washington Report, domestic violence relationships include boyfriend/girlfriend, child, ex-spouse, friend, grandchild, grandparent, homosexual relationship, in-law, other family member, parent, sibling, spouse, step-child, step-parent, or step-sibling.
  2. Domestic violence homicide counts do not contain negligent manslaughter.
  3. The annual Crime In Washington report is compiled from data submitted to the Washington State Uniform Crime Reporting Program of the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs by Washington State law enforcement agencies. The report includes a section on domestic violence statistics.

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 Washington is:

Females

41.4% Experienced IPV
58.6% No IPV

Among female victims in Washington who experienced contact sexual violence, physical violence, and/or stalking by an intimate partner in their lifetime, 57.3% were concerned for safety, 38.3% were injured, 21.5% needed medical care, and 23.2% needed legal services.4

Males

31.7% Experienced IPV
68.3% No IPV

Among male victims in Washington who experienced contact sexual violence, physical violence, and/or stalking by an intimate partner in their lifetime, 18.2% were concerned for safety. Statistically reliable estimates of the percentage of male victims who were injured, needed medical care, or needed legal services are not available.5

Domestic Violence Protection Orders

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

There were 50,688 active protection orders in the National Crime Information Center for Washington in 2015, 23,924 of which had a disqualifying Brady Indicator.*6

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 murders and non-negligent homicides: In Washington, domestic violence relationships include boyfriend/girlfriend, child, ex-spouse, friend, grandchild, grandparent, homosexual relationship, in-law, other family member, parent, sibling, spouse, step-child, step-parent, or step-sibling. Domestic violence homicide counts do not contain negligent manslaughter.
  • 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 5, 2021. Please note that data used are the most recent available data.