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California

State Overview - State Summary - State Projects
Available Reports - Sample Data Collection Forms - Available Data - Links

State Overview

Domestic Violence Legislation:Yes (Family Code 6209-6211)
NIBRS Status:Testing
Additional Data ElementsYes
Law Enforcement DV System:Incident-based
Service Provider DV System:Limited Summary and Incident-based
Service Provider SA System:Limited Summary and Incident-based


State Summary

The state's domestic violence legislation does include same-sex relationships. Although the state is not NIBRS-certified, the Office of the Attorney General's Department of Justice is collecting incident-based data. For the testing phase, 26 additional data elements are being collected, including:

  • California Offense Code - Mandatory
  • Latitude - Optional
  • Longitude - Optional
  • Day of the Week - Optional (Hate Crime Only)
  • Offensive Symbols/Words/Acts - Optional (Hate Crime Only)
  • Victim Connected to California CJIS Code - Mandatory
  • Type of Activity Circumstance - Mandatory (Law Enforcement Officer Killed or Assaulted (LEOKA) Only)
  • Assignment Type - Mandatory (LEOKA Only)
  • ORI (Agency Identifier) - Other Jurisdiction - Mandatory (LEOKA Only)
  • Domestic Violence-Related - Mandatory
  • Victim Last Name - Mandatory (Hate Crime/Homicide)
  • Victim First Name - Mandatory (Hate Crime/Homicide)
  • Victim Middle Name - Optional
  • Victim Organization/Affiliation - Optional
  • Victim Date of Birth - Optional
  • Offender Last Name - Optional
  • Offender First Name - Optional
  • Offender Middle Name - Optional
  • Offender Date of Birth - Optional
  • Offender Organization/Affiliation - Optional
  • California Arrest Offense CJIS Code - Mandatory
  • Arrestee Date of Birth - Mandatory
  • Law Enforcement Disposition of Arrestee - Mandatory
  • Arrestee Last Name - Mandatory
  • Arrestee First Name - Mandatory
  • Arrestee Middle Name - Optional

In addition to collecting incident-based crime data for the Crimes and Clearances database, the Department of Justice maintains sixteen databases, several related to domestic and sexual violence. Each require law enforcement to submit separate information, either electronically or by using standard report forms. Most notable is the Domestic Violence-Related Calls for Assistance database, which collects monthly summary statistical data on the total number of domestic violence-related calls received by law enforcement. Data collected include the number of cases involving weapons and the type of weapon used during the incident. Domestic and sexual violence information can also be retrieved from the Monthly Arrest and Citation Register, which provides information on felony and misdemeanor level arrests for adults and juveniles. The Offender-Based Transaction Statistics data can be used to find the final disposition, while the Violent Crimes Committed Against Senior Citizens database includes information on victims 60 years of age and older. The Department of Justice also maintains the Domestic Violence Restraining Order System, accessible to all law enforcement and court agencies, as well as agencies that sell firearms. All data are available upon request.

Neither the California Partnership to End Domestic Violence nor the California Coalition Against Sexual Assault collect any data from service providers. Instead, the Office of Criminal Justice Planning Law Enforcement and Victim Services Division collects information from grantees through various reporting programs. These include:

The California Women's Health Survey, a project of the California Department of Health Services, California Department of Mental Health, California Department of Alcohol and Drug Programs, California Department of Social Services, Lumetra, and the Public Health Institute, is an annual survey of women in the state. In addition to demographic and health questions, the survey includes sexual assault questions and a domestic violence module. The results are published in a report available from the California Department of Health Services Office of Women's Health. Data are available upon request.

The Department of Health Services has also teamed up with the University of California, San Francisco Center on Social Disparities in Health to conduct the Maternal Infant Health Assessment. Although the purpose of the assessment is to develop and evaluate health policies and programs, sexual and domestic violence questions are often included.

The Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development Medical Information Reporting for California (MIRCal) collects both discharge and emergency room data from approximately 460 hospitals licensed by the state using an online incident-based data collection system. The system collects information on the cause of the injury, including sexual trauma. The Department of Health Services Domestic Violence Section provides funding to local programs and collects aggregate counts of women seeking services.

The Victim's Compensation and Government Claims Board collects limited information from victims applying for compensation. Relationship information is not collected, so only sexual assault information can be gathered from these forms. The information is provided in an annual report, which breaks out the number of applications by crime type.


State Projects

  • Domestic Violence and the Courts
    With funding by the California Department of Health Services (DHS), Epidemiology & Prevention for Injury Control (EPIC) Branch, this project supports continued education for judges and court personnel through the administration of stipend and mini-grant programs. It also provides information on batterer's fines collections per county through quarterly reports from the Domestic Violence Education and Training Fund.


  • Juvenile Domestic and Family Violence: The Effects of Court-Based Intervention Programs on Recidivism
    The National Center for State Courts (NCSC), in collaboration with the American Probation and Parole Association (APPA), will conduct a 24-month study of the effectiveness of intervention programs in the area of juvenile domestic/family violence. The project’s goal is to document the effectiveness of court- and probation-based intervention programs on offender recidivism and post-treatment behaviors. Participant sites include the Santa Clara (CA) Juvenile Domestic and Family Violence Court, the San Francisco Youth Family Violence Court, and the Contra Costa County court system.


  • Public Policy and Research Committee
    The Public Policy and Research Committee of the California Partnership to End Domestic Violence works to improve domestic violence policy in California by advocating for legislation that increases protections for domestic violence victims and funding for support of programs. Members of the committee are representatives from the field of domestic violence throughout the state who draft, monitor, and testify in support of or against legislation related to domestic violence victims or service providers.


  • Spousal Abuser Prosecution Program
    The Spousal Abuser Prosecution Program in the California Department of Justice seeks to help both victims and prosecutors of domestic violence offenses. Through program grants supporting "vertical prosecution," district attorneys and city attorneys are able to develop teams that specialize in the investigation and prosecution of domestic violence offenses. Victims are able to work with the same prosecutor and investigator from the time charges are filed through the sentencing of the offender. Trained counselors/advocates also work with the victim to make the trial process less traumatic and overwhelming.


  • Teen Relationship Violence: An Examination of Juvenile Court Cases and Interventions
    Researchers from San Jose State University, supported by a grant from the National Institute of Justice to the National Center for State Courts, are comparing domestic violence courts in Santa Clara County, San Francisco County, and Contra Costa County to examine effectiveness and recidivism.


  • President's Family Justice Center Initiative
    The PFJCI is a pilot program administered by the Office on Violence Against Women that has awarded more than $20 million to 15 communities across the country for the planning, development, and establishment of comprehensive domestic violence victim service and support centers. The goal of the PFJCI is to make a victim's search for help and justice more efficient and effective by bringing professionals who provide an array of services together under one roof. One of the first centers, the Alameda County Family Justice Center, combines more than 50 organizations and 150 people working together to aid victims of domestic violence and their families.



    • Available Reports

    General Crime

    Domestic Violence

    Sexual Assault

    Violence Against Women


    Sample Data Collection Forms

    The Department of Justice collects information on domestic violence incidents from law enforcement based on this table:

    Law enforcement agencies complete these forms for the Department of Justice:

    The Governor's Office of Emergency Services' Criminal Justice Programs Division collects these forms from hospitals:

    The Department of Family and Community Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco conducts this assessment annually:

    The Victim's Compensation and Government Claims Board collects victim information using this form:

    The Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development collects hospital information using these three forms. The manuals are also noted:


    Available Data

    General Crime Statistics

    Domestic Violence

    Violence Against Women


    Links to State Agencies and Resources