Domestic Violence

Hitting, slapping, shoving, grabbing, pinching, biting, hair pulling, etc. are types of physical abuse. This type of abuse also includes denying a partner medical care or forcing alcohol and/or drug use upon him or her.

Coercing or attempting to coerce any sexual contact or behavior without consent. Sexual abuse includes, but is certainly not limited to, marital rape, attacks on sexual parts of the body, forcing sex after physical violence has occurred, or treating one in a sexually demeaning manner.

Undermining an individual's sense of self-worth and/or self-esteem is abusive. This may include, but is not limited to constant criticism, diminishing one's abilities, name-calling, or damaging one's relationship with his or her children.

Controlling or restraining a person’s ability to acquire, use, or maintain economic resources to which they are entitled. This includes using coercion, fraud, or manipulation to restrict a person’s access to money, assets, credit, or financial information; unfairly using a person’s personal economic resources, including money, assets, and credit, or exerting undue influence over a person’s financial and economic behavior or decisions, including forcing default on joint or other financial obligations, exploiting powers of attorney, guardianship, or conservatorship, or failing or neglecting to act in the best interests of a person to whom one has a fiduciary duty.

Elements of psychological abuse include - but are not limited to - causing fear by intimidation; threatening physical harm to self, partner, children, or partner's family or friends; destruction of pets and property; and forcing isolation from family, friends, or school and/or work.

An act or pattern of behavior that is intended to harm, threaten, control, stalk, harass, impersonate, exploit, extort, or monitor another person that occurs using any form of technology, including but not limited to: internet enabled devices, online spaces and platforms, computers, mobile devices, cameras and imaging programs, apps, location tracking devices, or communication technologies, or any other emerging technologies.

The goal of this protocol is to guide clinicians across a variety of healthcare settings in effectively providing medical forensic examinations to patients experiencing intimate partner violence (IPV).

Pursuant to Section 1103 of the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2022, United States Attorney’s offices (USAOs) and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Field Divisions partners with designated jurisdiction to reduce intimate partner firearm violence and to prioritize prosecutions of domestic violence offenders prohibited under 18 U.S.C. § 922(g) from owning firearms. 

This resource is designed to help law enforcement agencies recognize, mitigate, and prevent gender bias and other biases from compromising the response to, and investigation of, sexual assault, domestic violence, and other forms of gender-based violence. It provides a set of eight basic principles that – if integrated into law enforcement agencies’ policies, trainings and practices – help ensure that gender bias, either intentionally or unintentionally, does not undermine efforts to keep survivors safe and hold offenders accountable. Review additional resources that accompany each principle.

The Prosecutors’ Framework provides a practical blueprint to strengthen our national response to sexual assault and domestic violence and reduce declinations of meritorious allegations by equipping prosecutors to build provable cases in a trauma-informed manner that treats victims with humanity and ensures due process for defendants. Written by prosecutors for prosecutors, it reflects decades of expertise, insight, and experience of more than 120 state, Tribal, military, and federal prosecutors, as well as advocates, academics, and investigators who have dedicated their careers to combatting sexual assault and domestic violence. Although the focus is on prosecutors, it equally applies to investigators, advocates, and anyone building these sorts of cases. Review additional resources, articles, and trainings that accompany the principles set out in the Prosecutor’s Framework.

This DOJ Reference Card includes tools available under federal law to prosecute domestic violence offenders who illegally obtain firearms, including the dating relationship provisions of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act. 

The presence of firearms significantly increases the risk of death or serious injury for victims of domestic or dating violence. An abuser’s use of a gun to threaten or coerce an intimate partner can leave victims at risk of severe injury and escalating coercive control. This resource lists DOJ’s funding, training, and partnership opportunities to enforce firearms laws intended to keep guns out of the hands of adjudicated abusers. It further supports communities in the coordination among local, state, Tribal, and federal systems.