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By Christina Nordvang Jensen

The past years there has been an increase in the number of reported domestic violence victims. The newest data from New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services shows a 25% increase. In 2009 there was 25,761 cases reported in New York City. In 2013 the number was 32,324 which is 6,563 more reported incidences.

Victims of domestic violence in New York City Create line charts

But how come?

According to the Mayor’s Office to Combat Domestic Violence it is difficult to say with accuracy which factor is affecting the increase. “We don’t know with a 100 percent what is causing the development. One can be that more people are reporting domestic violence because of increased community awareness and support. Another can be that abuse incidents are increasing,” says a press representative from Mayor’s Office to Combat Domestic Violence.

Law enforcement officials have said that a big reason for the increase was a 2008 change in law redefining what an intimate partner is. Before the change, couples living together were not counted under the domestic violence law. Domestic violence was considered only an attack on a current or past spouse, someone with a child in common or people related by blood or marriage. The new law covers those in an “intimate relationship,” including teens, gays and lesbians, and heterosexuals who are just dating.

The city will provide more help

From 2002 to 2009, New York City added 628 beds for domestic violence victims and their children, according to data provided by the Human Resources Administration. Since then, the city has added no beds or units. Something many organizations have been criticizing. But in 2016 there will be more help for victims of domestic violence. Because of the increase the city has decided to provide more shelters for survivors of domestic violence. It will add space to serve a total of about 13,300 children and adults a year, a 50 percent increase over the current 8,800 individuals served yearly.

“We see more people reaching out for help. Therefor it is important to provide more service to the ones that are in a critical situation,” says a press representative from Mayor’s Office to Combat Domestic Violence.

When Mayor Bill de Blasio announced that the city is expanding the number of shelters he said in a statement:

“It is our responsibility to ensure that victims of domestic violence have the resources and support they need”. “With this significant expansion – the largest increase in recent history – we’ll be able to provide both the space and specialized services to help survivors of domestic violence rebuild their lives”.

Primary cause of murders of women

It is especially women who are victims of domestic violence. According to data from New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services 17,621 women reported domestic violence in 2013. In 2009 that number was 14,360. But also more male victims are in the statistics today. In 2009 there was 2,776 cases reported . In 2013 it increased to 3,564.

domestic
Create your own infographics

It can have fatal consequences for the women who are victims of domestic violence. It is the primary cause of murders of women in New York City. In 2012, 68% of all murders of women in New York City were related to domestic violence, according to data from NYPD.

A report released in February this year from the Mayor’s Office to Combat Domestic Violence found that nearly two of every three victims of domestic violence-related homicides among adults were women.

But even though the report shows a depressing picture for the women who are victims of domestic violence the general number of people who are dying in domestic violence-related attacks is looking better. Homicides involving intimate partners fell 41%, from 41 in 2002 to 24 in 2013.

One of the places that a lot of domestic violence is reported is at public housing. This year, almost 34 percent of all the crime that occurs at public housing developments is domestic violence-related. And it is still the women that mostly are represented in the statistics.

Councilman Ritchie Torres is pushing a proposal to force the NYPD to publicly report incidents of domestic violence at public housing developments to assess why and where the problem has become more severe. He believes that it will raise awareness and break the silence.

Aliza Chasan

Proposed Headline: Cost of fighting ISIS Soars

News Hook: A bipartisan group of 35 representatives in the house have called for House Speaker Paul Ryan to officially authorize a war on ISIS.

Nut Graf: The average daily cost of fighting ISIS has gone up nearly 20 percent since June. The cost could go up even higher soon. Most of the daily costs – about two-thirds – have from from the Air Force, but at the end of October, President Barack Obama authorized boots on the ground in Syria.

The Data: Preliminary data is here. I’m waiting on the Defense Department to send me additional data. Data Source: http://www.defense.gov/News/Special-Reports/0814_Inherent-Resolve

Description of DataThe data breaks down money spent on the fight against ISIS for the last five months as part of Operation Inherent Resolve. It breaks down daily average expenditures and average costs by expense, service (branch of the military) and category.

One Source You’ve Spoken to or Potential Sources:

  1. Richard Betts, professor of war at Columbia – rkb4@columbia.edu, 212-854-7325
  2. Stephen Biddle, national security expert – sbiddle@gwu.edu, 202-509-8476
  3. Janine Davidson, national security expert  – jdavidson@cfr.org
  4. Michael O’Hanlon, defense policy expert – 202.797.6146, 202.797.6103 — Media Inquiries
  5. Gordon Adams, foreign policy expert – (202) 885-1651, gadams@american.edu

By Christina Nordvang Jensen

Nut graph

The past years there has been an increase in the number of reported domestic violence victims. The newest data from New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services shows a 25% increase.

In 2009 there was 25,761 cases reported in New York City. In 2013 the number was 32,324 which is 6,563 more reported incidences.

There can be a number of things that have caused the increase. One can be that more people are reporting domestic violence because of increased community awareness and support. Another can be that abuse incidents are increasing. It is difficult to tell with accuracy which of these factors is affecting the indicator and to what degree.

Law enforcement officials have said that a big reason for the increase was a 2008 change in law redefining what an intimate partner is.

This development is happening while New York City is unable to offer enough shelter beds and transitional apartments for victims of domestic violence.

From 2002 to 2009, the city added 628 beds for domestic violence victims and their children, according to data provided by the Human Resources Administration. Since then, New York City has added no beds or units.

 

Description and link to the data

The data is from New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services. It shows the development in the number of reported domestic violence victims from 2009 to 2013.

Victim counts are reported for the following offenses: aggravated assault, simple assault, sex offenses, and violation of protective orders.

http://www.criminaljustice.ny.gov/crimnet/ojsa/domestic-violence-data.html

 

Sources to contact:

New York State Office for the Prevention of Domestic Violence (OPDV)

The nonprofit organization Sanctuary for Families. It helps victims of domestic violence and related forms of gender violence.

https://www.sanctuaryforfamilies.org

Safe Horizon –  a victim assistance agency that provides support, prevent violence and promote justice for victims of crime and abuse, their families and communities.

http://www.safehorizon.org

Urban Resource Institute, one of New York City’s largest providers of services for victims of domestic violence victims and their families.

http://urinyc.org

Kat Long

The holiday season is the busiest time of year for air travel. According to data from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, only about 75 percent of flights to and from major U.S. airports arrived on time, meaning that passengers have a one in four chance of getting to their destination late.

This data-driven story will describe the seven causes of flight delays that are tracked by the BTS. The data suggest that weather is one of the least common reasons, and that late-arriving connecting flights is most common. A bar chart or graph will show the frequency of each cause over the past year. Accompanying text will explain that the rate of each cause has remained consistent over the past decade, and experts will offer tips to holiday travelers for avoiding delays when possible.

Data source

I created a spreadsheet tabulating Bureau of Transportation Statistics. Using this online tool, I compiled the number and percentage of flight delay causes for each year between 2004 and 2014 inclusive.

Sources

Dave Smallen
Press secretary, U.S. Department of Transportation, Bureau of Transportation Statistics
202-366-5568
David.Smallen@dot.gov

John Lopinto
Co-Founder, ExpertFlyer.com, a leading website for advice and travel trends geared toward frequent flyers.
media@expertflyer.com

Rick Seaney
CEO of FareCompare.com, air travel analyst and columnist
Media contact Alex Williams, online contact form: http://www.farecompare.com/media/#/