The variation in reporting rates may be an artifact of victim or police reporting practices. Although more investigation is needed, preliminary findings warn against the use of incident data absent a clear understanding of reporting behaviors. Between 80 and 90 percent of the accused in all sites were male and similar percentages of complainants were female. The average age of both defendants and victims was 30 years, with approximately 80 percent falling between 18 and 40 years. The over-representation may, in part, reflect differences in victim or police reporting practices, as well as differences in the prevalence of the underlying behaviors.
Most incidents occur at either the shared residence of the parties or the residence of the victim.
There is a great deal of variation among jurisdictions in the classification of offenses in which the victim has been punched, choked or otherwise seriously attacked. Much of this variation is likely due to varying interpretations by prosecutors, judges, and police regarding the standard of proof of physical injury that New York State law requires for an assault charge. Some jurisdictions routinely charge, as assaults, physical attacks that result in bruised and swollen faces and bodies. Ironically, offenses involving the destruction of property are more systematically classified as misdemeanors than are those involving injuries to the person. Clearly efforts need to be made to reduce the variation in charging practices among jurisdictions and to ensure that people are provided at least as much protection as property.