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            A. The legislature hereby finds and declares that there is a present and growing need to develop innovative strategies and services which will reduce and treat the trauma of family violence. Available studies documenting police statistics indicate that thousands of persons in this state are regularly beaten, tortured, and, in many cases, killed by spouses or persons with whom they are living in a primary relationship. These studies further indicate that victims of family violence come from all socioeconomic classes and ethnic groups, though it is the poor who suffer most from family violence, since it is less likely that they have immediate access to private counseling and shelter for themselves and their children. Children, though often not physically assaulted, suffer deep and lasting emotional effects, and it is most often the children of those parents who commit family violence that perpetuate the cycle by abusing their spouses.

            B. The legislature further finds and declares that there is a high incidence of deaths and injuries sustained by law enforcement officers in the handling of domestic disturbances. A definite correlation between family violence and marital homicide has been established, yet police arrests for family violence are low, and victims are reluctant to press charges. Furthermore, instances of family violence are considered to be the single most unreported crime in the state.

            C. It is the intention of the legislature to achieve a reduction in serious and fatal injuries to the victims of family violence and to clarify the problems, causes, and remediation of family violence by providing the necessary services including shelter, counseling, and referrals to social services, medical care, and legal assistance in the form of a family violence center.

            Added by Acts 1979, No. 746, §1; Acts 2018, No. 206, §5.