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Author: Office of the Chief Medical Examiner
Homicide: An Analysis of Homicide in Virginia Among Those 50 Years or Older, 1999 – 2007
A brief article examining intimate partner homicide in people age 50 or older which considers the following questions: (1)what were the characteristics of persons 50 years of age or older who were killed as a result of intimate partner discord or violence and (2) what were the circumstances surrounding intimate partner homicide events in which decedents were persons 50 years of age or older?
Published by: Virginia Department of Health, Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. June, 2010. 14 pages.
New Report Available from the Family and Intimate Partner Homicide Surveillance Project
The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in the Virginia Department of Health has issued a new report from the Family and Intimate Partner Homicide Surveillance Project, Family and Intimate Partner Homicides in Virginia’s Cities and Counties: 1999-2013.
The year 2013 marked the fifteenth year of data collection by the Family and Intimate Partner Homicide Surveillance Project. This report examines the burden of domestic violence related homicides in Virginia over that time period. The main body of the report gives an overview of trends and disparities in the impact of fatal domestic violence through the lens of place and locality using maps, figures, and geographic divisions. Report appendices contain extensive look-up tables detailing the impact of these deaths at the level of city/county for the entire fifteen-year surveillance period, to support local and regional efforts to respond to and prevent future fatalities.
This and other reports are available here.
New Reports from the Virginia Violence Death Reporting System
The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in the Virginia Department of Health has issued two new reports from the Virginia Violent Death Reporting System: Homicide Across the Life Course and Homelessness and Violent Death.
Homicide Across the Life Course examines homicides from two viewpoints. First, a longitudinal perspective describes changing homicide rates from 2003-2011. Second, a life course perspective examines how homicide looks for different age groups and how homicide risk changes as we age. This report identifies populations who are more at risk than others, and documents regions of Virginia and circumstances surrounding homicide that can assist in developing targeted responses and interventions to reduce homicide and support healthier communities in the Commonwealth.
Homelessness and Violent Death examines violent death, particularly homicides and suicides, among people who were homeless at the time of death. Violence prevention is a challenge for any population, but it may be especially so for homeless persons whose daily life and poor access to fundamental resources such as housing, safety, food, and health care creates the opportunity and conditions for violence. Their vulnerable status is exacerbated by substance abuse problems and mental health conditions, which may not be addressed in any meaningful way because they are homeless.
New Resources on Adult Fatality Review in Virginia
As of July 1, 2015, Virginia law supports the formation of local and regional Adult Fatality Review Teams (AFRTs) to identify and review deaths involving abuse, neglect and exploitation of incapacitated and older adults in the Commonwealth. Resources to assist communities in forming AFRTs can be found here.
Now Available: 2013 Family and Intimate Partner Homicide Report
The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner announces the release of the 2013 Annual Report on Family and Intimate Partner Homicide: A descriptive analysis of the characteristics and circumstances surrounding family and intimate partner homicide in Virginia.
This report contains an overview of 2013 data from the Family and Intimate Partner (FIP) Homicide Surveillance Project. Highlighted findings include:
• 36% of all homicides in 2013 in Virginia were attributed to Family and Intimate Partner Violence (FIPV). While the overall number of homicides has decreased since 2009, the proportion of deaths attributed to FIPV remains stable at one in three or higher.
• Firearms were used in 57% of FIP Homicides, a 21% increase from 2012.
• Despite the majority of FIP Homicide victims being white and female, the highest death rate was among blacks (2.9), with black males dying at a higher rate than any other group (3.1).
• The highest number of FIP Homicides occurred in the Eastern Health Planning Region (39); Richmond City had the highest number of deaths (10) for any one locality.
We invite your review of the full report, which is available at: http://www.vdh.virginia.gov/medExam/documents/pdf/2013%20FIPS%20Report.pdf.
