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Contents of Intimate Partner Violence in the U.S.
· About the data
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Intimate
Partner Violence in the U.S. Definitions
Definitions of relationships used in this report
- Intimates --
- spouses or ex-spouses
- boyfriends and girlfriends
- ex-boyfriends and ex-girlfriends
- Other relatives --
- parents or step parents
- children or stepchildren
- brothers or sisters
- some other relative
- Acquaintances --
- friends or former friends
- roommates or boarders
- schoolmates
- neighbors
- someone at work
- some other known non-relative
- A stranger is anyone not previously known by the victim
The FBI, through the SHR, and BJS, using the NCVS, gather information
about the relationship between the victim and offender using different
relationship categories. In this report responses to the victim-offender
question from both datasets are collapsed into four relationship groups:
intimate, friend/acquaintance, other family, and stranger. These groups
are created from the following original response categories:
| Report category |
NCVS categories |
SHR categories |
| Intimate |
Spouse
Ex-spouse
Boyfriend/girlfriend
Ex-boyfriend/ex-girlfriend
Same sex relationship |
Husband/wife
Common-law husband or wife
Ex-husband/ex-wife
Boyfriend/girlfriend
Same sex relationship |
| Friend/acquaintance |
Friend/ex-friend
Roommate/boarder
Schoolmate
Neighbor
Someone at work/customer
Other non-relative |
Acquaintance
Friend
Neighbor
Employee
Employer
Other known |
| Other family |
Parent or step parent
Own child or stepchild
Brother/sister
Other relative |
Mother/father
Son/daughter
Brother/sister
In-law
Stepfather/stepmother
Stepson/stepdaughter
Other family |
| Stranger |
Stranger
Known by sight only |
Stranger |
Definitions of violent crimes:
- Homicide: murder and non-negligent manslaughter is defined as the willful
killing of one human being by another.
- Rape: forced sexual intercourse, including both psychological coercion
and physical force. Forced sexual intercourse means vaginal, anal, or
oral penetration by the offender(s). This category includes incidents
where the penetration is from a foreign object such as a bottle. This
definition includes attempted rapes, male and female victims, and heterosexual
and homosexual rape.
- Sexual assault: includes a wide range of victimizations, distinct from
rape or attempted rape. These crimes include completed or attempted
attacks generally involving unwanted sexual contact between the victim
and offender. Sexual assaults may or may not involve force and include
such things as grabbing or fondling. Sexual assault also includes verbal
threats.
- Robbery: completed or attempted theft, directly from a person, of
property or cash by force or threat of force, with or without a weapon,
and with or without injury.
- Assault: the unlawful physical attack or threat of attack. Assaults
may be classified as aggravated or simple. Rape, attempted rape, and
sexual assaults are excluded from this category, as well as robbery
and attempted a robbery. The severity of assaults ranges from minor
threat to incidents which are nearly fatal.
- Aggravated assault: the attack or attempted attack with a weapon,
regardless of whether or not an injury occurred and attack without a
weapon when serious injury results.
- Simple assault: an attack without a weapon resulting either in no
injury, minor injury (for example, bruises, black eyes, cuts or in undetermined
injury requiring less than 2 days of hospitalization. Also includes
attempted assault without a weapon.
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