Ohio

State Overview

State Summary

Ohio has legislation in place that defines domestic violence, including violence between same-sex partners. The state is NIBRS-certified and the Ohio Incident-Based Reporting System (OIBRS) is maintained by the Ohio Office of Criminal Justice Services (OCJS). Currently, approximately 270 (28%) law enforcement agencies report incident-based data to the Office. In addition to the NIBRS data elements, supplemental elements are collected, including:

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The Family Violence Prevention Center, part of the OCJS, allocates Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) funds for  local domestic violence projects. The Center also provides funding for  60 additional projects, including the implementation of a statewide initiative, projects focusing on underserved populations, and shelter and related assistance initiatives. Fifty-four of the 65 shelters in the state receive funding. Each agency receiving funding from the Center completes semiannual performance reports and a supplemental survey, providing aggregate statistics, completed at the end of the funding period. These data are compiled in an annual report and shared with the Office of Health and Human Services.

The Ohio Domestic Violence Network does not collect data from the local shelters, but has developed a Standards of Care protocol for health care providers. The Network also receives data collected by the Ohio Attorney General's Office and the Ohio Courts, which are consolidated and posted on the Network's Web site.

The Ohio Attorney General collects data through three separate divisions. Summary reports on domestic violence incidents are submitted to the Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation from law enforcement agencies in the state. These statistics are included in its annual report and are available upon request. The Crime Victim Assistance division also collects data from  domestic violence and homeless shelters receiving divorce, dissolution and annulment fees from the AG's Office. The division also collects summary statistics from performance reports submitted by all service providers receiving Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) and State Victims Assistance Act (SVAA) grants. All data are available upon request. The Crime Victims Services division tracks the number of awards paid through the Victims of Crime Compensation Program by type of crime, including domestic and sexual violence. These data are published in an annual report.

The Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence Prevention Program of the Ohio Department of Health collects aggregate data from  sexual assault and rape prevention programs that receive Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) grants, as well as information on hotline calls. The Department also administers the state's Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), including the domestic violence and sexual assault modules. These data are reported to the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion division of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. All of the information is available on the CDC Web site.

All 88 Domestic Relations district courts report data on intrafamily domestic relations cases to the Supreme Court of Ohio Case Management Section monthly. These data are published in the Supreme Court's annual report and aggregate data are available upon request.

The Ohio Highway Patrol maintains the repository for protection orders in the state. Each law enforcement agency submits the protection order information via the Law Enforcement Automated Data System (LEADS). This information is also made available nationally through the FBI's National Crime Information Center system.

State Projects

Available Reports

General Crime

• Supreme Court of Ohio (Annual). Ohio Courts Summary.
• Ohio Office of the Attorney General (2006).  Ohio victims of crime compensation program: Annual report for FY 2005.
• Ohio Office of Criminal Justice Services (2006). State of crime and justice in Ohio.
• Payne, D., Maltz, M., Krivo, L., and Peterson, R. (2006).  Crime in Ohio: Analyses of OIBRS data. Ohio State University Criminal Justice Research Center.

Domestic Violence

• Ohio Office of Criminal Justice Services (2006).  The Ohio domestic violence benchbook: A practical guide for judges and magistrates.
• Attorney General's Office (2004).  Domestic Violence Report.
• Ohio Office of Criminal Justice Services, Family Violence Prevention and Services (2004).  Annual Report.
• Shoaf, L. C. (2004).  Domestic violence in Appalachian Ohio: The victim's perspective. Ohio Office of Criminal Justice Services.
• Ohio Office of Criminal Justice Services (2002).  Ohio family violence needs assessment: Report to Family Violence Prevention Advisory Council.
• Anthem Foundation (2000).  Prevention of family violence in the Anthem Foundation of Ohio's service area.

Sexual Assault

• Ohio Office of Criminal Justice Services (2006).  Report to the Ohio Sentencing Commission: Sex offenders.
• Ohio Department of Health (2003).  Rape in Ohio: A report to the state.
• Ohio Department of Health (2002).  A call to action: Ending sexual assault in Ohio.
• Ohio Department of Health (2002).  Ohio Department of Health Ohio protocol for sexual assault and medical examination: A five-year follow-up evaluation with recommendations for the future.

Stalking

• Ohio Office of Criminal Justice Services (2006).  Stalking in Ohio.

Violence Against Women

• Ohio Domestic Violence Network (2003).  The Ohio domestic violence protocol for health care providers: Standards of care.
• Bohmer, C., Bronson, D. E., Hartnett, H., Brandt, J., and Kania, K. S. (2000).  Victim advocacy services in urban programs: A description by staff and clients of service provision and gaps, final report. NCJ 182368, Washington, DC: United States Department of Justice, National Institute of Justice.

Sample Data Collection Forms

The Ohio Office of Criminal Justice Services (OCJS) collects crime data from law enforcement agencies using these forms according to the specifications outlined in this manual:

• OIBRS Forms
•  Ohio Incident-Based Crime Reporting: Data Collection and Submission Specifications

The OCJS Family Violence and Preventions Services division collects information from grantees using this form:

•  FVPS Semi-Annual Performance Report

The Ohio Office of the Attorney General's Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation provides this domestic violence incident report form to assist law enforcement agencies in collecting the data required for the monthly domestic violence incidents summary report:

• Officer's Report

The Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation provides this form to law enforcement to gather information on domestic violence incidents:

• Monthly Summary of Domestic Violence Incident Statistics
• Instructions for Monthly Summary Report

The Office of the Attorney General also requires all Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) and State Victims Assistance Act (SVAA) grantees to report summary information using this form:

•  VOCA and SVAA Performance Report and Instructions

The Ohio Department of Health's Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence Prevention program collects summary data from rape crisis programs using this form:

•  Rape Crisis Program Data Collection Form

The Ohio Office of the Attorney General's Crime Victim Services section requires all shelters receiving funds to complete this annual report form and application, providing summary information:

•  Annual Report for Shelters for Victims of Domestic Violence

The Ohio Domestic Violence Network recommends the use of these forms, as outlined in its protocol:

•  The Ohio domestic violence protocol for health care providers: Standards of care.
•  Domestic Violence Screening Form for Females
•  Domestic Violence Screening Form for Males
•  Abuse Assessment Screen
•  Danger Assessment
•  Safety Plan

The Supreme Court of Ohio's Case Management Section collects summary domestic violence case information monthly using this form:

•  Form B

The Attorney General's Office collects information from victims applying for compensation using this form:

•  Application for Compensation

Available Data

General Crime Statistics

• Ohio Office of Criminal Justice Services (Annual). Crime by County.
• The Disaster Center (2001). Ohio Crime Rates 1960 - 2000.

Domestic Violence

• Ohio Domestic Violence Network (Annual). Domestic Violence Service Statistics, 1997 - 2004.
• Attorney General's Office (2005). 2004 Domestic Violence Annual Report.
• Wooldredge, J. (2000). Reconsidering Domestic Violence Recidivism: Individual and Contextual Effects of Court Dispositions and Stake in Conformity in Hamilton County, Ohio, 1993-1998. NACJD Study No. 3013.

Violence Against Women

• Attorney General's Office (2006). 2004 - 2005 VOCA Performance Report.
• Bohmer, C., Bronson, D. E., Hartnett, H., Brandt, J., and Kania, K. S. (1999). Evaluation of Victim Advocacy Services Funded by the Violence Against Women Act in Urban Ohio, 1999. NACJD Study No. 2992.
• Koss, M. P. (1986). Criminal Victimization Among Women in Cleveland, Ohio: Impact on Health Status and Medical Service Usage, 1986. NACJD Study No. 9920.

Links to State Agencies and Resources

• Ohio Office of Criminal Justice Services
• Ohio Highway Patrol
• Ohio Domestic Violence Network
• Family Violence Prevention Center
• Anthem Foundation
• Supreme Court of Ohio Case Management Section
• Attorney General's Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation
• Ohio Department of Health