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Michigan

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

State Overview

Domestic Violence Legislation:Yes (400 Act 389)
NIBRS Status:Certified
Additional IBR Elements:Yes
Law Enforcement DV System:No
Service Provider DV System:Incident-Based
Service Provider SA System:Incident-Based


State Summary

The State of Michigan does have legislation in place defining domestic violence in the state, including same-sex romantic relationships. The Michigan State Police (MSP) collect incident-based crime data from roughly 95% of law enforcement agencies in the state. The Michigan Incident Crime Reporting (MICR) system includes all of the NIBRS elements plus some additional data values. While the only additional data elements are city and county codes, the MICR system includes additional victim types, ethnicity, residence, circumstance, injury and relationship codes. A full list of MICR codes is available. Agencies that are not reporting MICR data are not reporting domestic or sexual violence data other than crime counts as required by the FBI.

To assist agencies in prosecuting domestic violence incidents, the MSP developed a Standard Domestic Relationship Incident Report to act as a guideline. This form must be completed for every domestic incident and provided to the local prosecutor's office. The MSP also manages the Law Enforcement Information (LEIN) System, which includes a statewide database of protection orders accessible to law enforcement agencies.

The Michigan Department of Community Health funds the Sexual Assault Surveillance System (SASS) Project as part of the Violence and Intentional Injury Prevention Program. Located at the Michigan State University's Institute for Children, Youth and Families in the College of Human Ecology, the SASS staff collects, analyzes, and disseminates data sets from state agencies. Currently, SASS includes law enforcement information from the Michigan State Police; community information from the Centers for Disease Control's Youth Risk Behavior Survey and the Center for Demography and Ecology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison's National Survey of Families and Households; and corrections information from the Michigan Department of Corrections. SASS staff are also in the process of analyzing MSP's Sexually Motivated Crime information. The information collected as part of SASS is available from its Web site.

The Department of Community Health also collects intimate partner and sexual violence and homicide data through two surveillance systems. The Michigan Intimate Partner Violence Surveillance System (MIPVSS) collects data on non-fatal cases of intimate partner violence from 21 hospital emergency departments and 15 county prosecuting attorney offices. All cases determined to be intimate are sent to the Michigan Public Health Institute. The Institute reviews and corrects the information, which is then sent to the Department of Community Health's Injury Prevention Section for analysis.

The second system, the Michigan Intimate Partner Homicide Surveillance System (MIPHSS), tracks intimate partner deaths from various sources, including prosecuting attorneys, the Michigan State Police, medical examiners, death certificates, and newspapers. Currently 78 of the 83 county prosecuting attorneys submit information through the Adult Tracking System, operated by the Prosecuting Attorney's Association of Michigan. Medical examiner data are obtained through the Michigan Medical Examiner Database, a voluntary case-management system managed by the Michigan Public Health Institute's Center for Collaborative Research in Health Outcomes and Policy. Death certificates are maintained by the Department of Community Health in the Vital Records and Health Data Development Section. The Department of Community Health will share data upon request.

The Michigan State Court Administrative Office collects monthly reports of personal protection orders filed in all of the state courts. Information collected includes whether the order was domestic and whether the abuser is a juvenile or adult. Stalking protection orders are also collected but are not considered to be domestic. Information is published annually.

The Michigan Domestic Violence Prevention and Treatment Board collects information from pdf document 45 service providers in the state. Each service provider submits a Client Information Report quarterly to the Board, along with Activity and Narrative Reports. The Board shares information upon request but no published reports are currently available. The Michigan Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence does not collect information from state shelters and service providers, but rather provides newsletters and fact sheets to support these agencies.


State Projects

  • Justice System Response to Intimate Partner Violence in Asian Communities.
    This study is a joint effort between the University of Michigan School of Social Work and the Asian & Pacific Islander Institute on Domestic Violence. The investigators plan to provide empirical evidence to identify factors that promote and hinder effective interventions in Asian communities in response to domestic violence. The study will employ a face-to-face semi-structured interview method to collect data from 320 Asian battered women on: 1) the types and life course trajectories of IPV experienced; 2) longitudinal trajectories of contacts with the criminal justice system; 3) factors associated with help-seeking; 4) responses of criminal justice system components such as police, prosecution, and courts; and 5) the relationship between contacts with criminal justice and women's safety/well being over time.


  • Analysis of Domestic Violence in Michigan Using NIBRS/MICR Data
    Funded by the Bureau of Justice Statistics , the Michigan State University's Michigan Justice Statistics Center will conduct a study of intimate partner violence by analyzing Michigan Incident Crime Reporting (MICR) data. While an overall statewide examination will be conducted, analysis will also be conducted by region, county, major city, and urban vs rural areas. In addition to reporting the number of incidents, rates based upon jurisdiction population will be available. Density maps will also be created to depict areas of high concentrations of incidents across the state. A final research report, aimed at improving the investigation of intimate partner violence by law enforcement, will also be available.


  • Sexual Assault Surveillance System (SASS)
    Funded by the Michigan Department of Community Health, the SASS is an ongoing systematic collection, analysis and interpretation of sexual assault data for use in planning, implementation, and evaluation of sexual assault polices in Michigan.


  • Domestic Violence Information System Coordination and Research Project (DISCAR)
    DISCAR will develop, implement, and evaluate information systems at the local level to provide information on domestic violence incidents in Michigan.


  • Marquette Research for Justice and Violence Agencies (MR JAVA)
    The Marquette Research for Justice and Violence Agencies (MR JAVA) is a three-year project funded through the Michigan Department of Community Health. Michigan State University is the university partner responsible for the evaluation component, providing resources, and facilitating community relations. The purpose is to reduce domestic violence through community collaboration and coordination of intervention agencies. This project is implementing community-wide change through a variety of methods.


  • An Intersectional Analysis of Domestic Violence: Understanding the Help-Seeking Decisions of Marginalized Battered Women
    Researchers at Michigan State University are collecting data from women in two urban cities in Michigan to identify barriers to seeking services. The research will use interviews of the largely marginalized population to determine how and why women make the decision of whether or not to seek help.




Available Reports

General Crime Statistics

Domestic Violence

Sexual Assault

Violence Against Women


Sample Data Collection Forms

This is the instruction letter and form used by the law enforcement agencies in the state:

This is the form service providers complete for each client for the Michigan Domestic Violence Prevention and Treatment Board:

This form details quarterly information:

This is a domestic relations mediation screening protocol developed by the Michigan Domestic Violence Prevention and Treatment Board:

These forms are used to collect data for the Michigan Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System:

This is the codebook used for the 1996 Violence Against Michigan Women Survey, conducted by the Michigan Department of Community Health:

This is the data entry screen used by prosecutors to submit information to the Michigan Department of Community Health:

This one is the data entry screen used by hospital staff:

The Michigan Coalition Against Homelessness collects individual information using these forms:


Available Data

General Crime Statistics

Domestic Violence

Sexual Assault


Links to State Agencies and Resources

You can also view pdf document a list of service providers funded by the Michigan Domestic Violence Prevention and Treatment Board.

Local Services, Shelters and Hotlines