A total of 63,058 domestic violence offenses were reported by the New Jersey police in 2020, a 6% increase over 2019’s tally of 59,645. If there was a shred of good news in the Uniform Crime Report issued by the state attorney general’s office, murders associated with domestic violence decreased 26% in 2020 (29) when compared with 2019 (39).

Otherwise, the statistics are consistently bleak: Children were actively involved or present during 14,930 incidents or 24% of all reported. The number of complaints that had prior court orders issued against the offender increased from 10,761 in 2019 to 12,669 in 2020. Unsurprisingly, perhaps, alcohol and/or drugs were involved in 21% (13,092) of 2020’s reported offenses.

The most frequent day of the week for domestic violence was Sunday (10,504), closely followed by Saturday (9,884).

According to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, domestic violence is the willful intimidation, physical assault, battery, sexual assault and/or other abusive behavior as part of a systematic pattern of power and control perpetrated by a current or former intimate partner, household member and/or an individual in a dating relationship against another. It can include physical violence, sexual violence, psychological violence, economic abuse and emotional abuse. It always consists of one person’s consistent efforts to maintain power and control over the other.

New Jersey maintains a 24/7 Domestic Violence Hotline: 800-572-SAFE (7233). It is bilingual and accessible to the deaf and hearing impaired. Calls are completely confidential; services include crisis intervention, referrals and advocacy.