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Community Statement from Sojourner House: Domestic Violence Found to be Most Common Felony in Rhode Island
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Dear community,
On Monday afternoon, the investigative team at Channel 12 News released a report analyzing more than three years of felony data from the R.I Attorney General’s Office. The takeaway was this: domestic violence is the most common felony in the state of Rhode Island. Journalists Eli Sherman and Tim White reported that 12,700 domestic violence-related charges were filed during that window, making up more than 20% of all felonies.
While these numbers are sobering, they are not surprising, and as experts in the field we know that they don’t even illustrate the full scope of the issue.
“Domestic violence is a notoriously underreported crime,” Sojourner House’s executive director, Vanessa Volz, explained. “It is a dangerous, and oftentimes deadly, social problem of epidemic proportions. We at Sojourner House are not surprised by these findings, but in light of this data, we urge our legislators to prioritize funding for victims and survivors of abuse here in our state.”
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Channel 12 was able to look at incidents with police involvement, but more often than not, interpersonal violence goes unreported. There are a variety of reasons why victims are unable to seek help, such as financial dependency, a lack of resources, or fears of custody loss, retaliation, and deportation. We must also consider those suffering verbal and psychological abuse, rather than physical, who have fewer options to report.
We’re grateful that this investigation was able to shine light on the issue of domestic violence, but it doesn’t fully portray the reality and scope of those suffering in our state.
The need for domestic violence resources in our community only seems to be growing. Sojourner House’s services have grown substantially in the past few years, but even with our expanded programming we cannot keep up with requests for help. For example, at the present moment, we have 183 families on a waitlist for permanent supportive housing. Many people reach out on a regular basis for emergency shelter, clinical services, and other support that we are not always able to provide.
In 2020, during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, we felt the full brunt of this need. During years past we received roughly 877 hotline calls per year, but in 2020 we received a staggering 2,904.
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We have done our best to meet the growing needs of our community, to expand and stretch to serve our clients as holistically as possible– but domestic violence is a public health epidemic, and it takes an entire community to enact change.
For over 45 years, Sojourner House has been at the forefront of meeting the needs of survivors of abuse. Since its inception, Sojourner House has served over 60,000 victims and survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and human trafficking. We provide clients and their families with emergency shelter, permanent supportive housing, clinical counseling and related services that empower and assist them with overcoming abuse and achieving safety.
Our work stretches beyond the reactive. We understand that relationship education is the most powerful form of violence prevention, and we put great effort into sparking community wide conversations around healthy relationships, consent, and boundaries.
We are committed to ending domestic violence, but cannot do that alone. To change the culture around relationships, and become a community that associates love with respect, we need your help.
To support our work and to join this conversation, visit www.sojournerri.org. And if you or someone you know is in danger or experiencing abuse, please know we are available to help. Our advocates are here to help survivors escape abuse, receive services, and rebuild their lives for a safe future. We can be reached confidentially on our 24/7 hotline at 401-765-3232.
Vanessa Volz
Executive Director
Sojourner House
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