Author: Freeman, Linda
Title: Comparison of Case Outcomes: Household Member Assault/Battery Cases and Non-Household Member Assault/Battery Cases
Summary: This report looks at cases disposed statewide in New Mexico for calendar year 2008. During 2008, NM District Courts disposed of 1,860 cases that had at least one assault or battery charge. In NM, if the victim of an assault or battery meets the definition of a household member (HHM) “a spouse, former spouse, parent, present or former stepparent, present or former parent-in-law, grandparent, grandparent-in-law, a co-parent of a child or a person with whom a person has had a continuing personal relationship” (NMSA 30-3-11) the defendant can be charged with a specific charge that is identifiable and different than if the victim does not meet the definition. For the purposes of this study, the existence of separate statutes allows us to compare the case outcomes when the victim meets the HHM definition compared to when the victim is not a HHM. The analysis used in this report is based on the most serious charge in the case. All cases disposed in 2008 that had any assault/battery or assault/battery HHM charges were selected from data that is provided to the New Mexico Sentencing Commission (NMSC) by the New Mexico Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC). After the initial case selection, it was determined whether or not the assault/battery or assault/battery HHM charge was the most serious charge in the case or a lower charge. Lower charges are considered less serious and we categorize cases by the most serious charge. Typically the most serious charge in the case is first count in the case; we refer to it as the top charge. Cases were categorized by their most serious charge and then grouped by whether or not it was a HHM or non-HHM crime anywhere in the charges. Prosecution rates, disposition and sentencing analysis were computed for each category of cases.
Details: Albuquerque, NM: New Mexico Sentencing Commission, 2011. 9p.
Source: Internet Resource: Accessed November 22, 2011 at:
Year: 2011
Country: United States
URL:
Shelf Number: 123426
Keywords:
Aggravated AssaultAssaults (New Mexico)SentencingVictims of Assault |
