Domestic violence death rate continues cause for concern

The Ohio Domestic Violence Network released its annual fatality count this week, and the news is not exactly good. Sure, the number of domestic violence fatalities decreased by approximately 15% from the previous year. But last year saw an INCREASE of 37%. The number of deaths in the most recent year counted is still the second-highest of the past decade. There were 134 fatalities, according to a report by Statehouse News Bureau. Between July 2025 and June 2026, 89 of the fatalities were victims, 45 were perpetrators. The Ohio Domestic Violence Network says more than half of those perpetrators had criminal histories; and nearly half of the victims had been trying to end their relationship or had already ended it before they were killed. As social scientists struggle to define what has caused such a horrific surge, lawmakers, too, are looking for ways to address the crisis.House Bill 566, enacting the Break the Silence Act, would — among other things — "require the Director of Health, hospitals, and urgent care facilities to create domestic violence protocols for certain health care professionals." Primary sponsor Rep. Dontavius Jarrells, D-Columbus, told Statehouse News the bill would require practitioners to conduct private interviews with both the patient and any family or household members who are with them and to document possible abuse-related injuries. It's an attempt to look at "the entire continuum of care," he said. Senate Bill 225, which passed the state Senate earlier this year, would expand the Address Confidentiality Program to include more crime victims and their families. Its primary sponsor was state Sen. Susan Manchester, R-Waynesfield. Whatever is driving this terrifying trend — and social scientists and policymakers cannot let up on trying to figure it out — it is encouraging to see lawmakers seeking their own solutions. Surely they will support these and subsequent efforts. As we can see, if something doesn't change, the results are deadly.