Severity of domestic violence is not hitting home (Nashville, TN)

We have only to look at official crime statistics to be reminded of the status quo: Last year, Tennessee ranked No. 6 among states for highest rate of murder of women in domestic violence situations. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation reports 77,540 Tennesseans in 2013 were victims of domestic abuse, and 51.4 percent of all crimes committed against individuals in Tennessee involved domestic violence. The victims who survive these attacks are subjected to severe physical and emotional trauma; most have children who are victimized as well.

Knowing these numbers, Nashville leaders presented recommendations for improving response to domestic violence in the city’s justice and law enforcement system, developed from a task force’s domestic violence safety and accountability assessment. One of the main problem areas identified at that announcement was that more than 40 percent of domestic violence suspects were being released by night court commissioners before their statutory 12-hour hold was fulfilled.