PRESS RELEASE

Report Reveals Seven Worst States for False Allegations of Violence

Rockville, MD – False allegations of domestic “violence” have become widespread in our country. Over two million domestic restraining orders are issued every year. In half of those orders, physical violence is not even alleged:

Alan Karmin of New Jersey was accused of domestic violence. But he had never assaulted his wife. What was the basis of the claim? It was alleged that Karmin telephoned his ex-wife 10-15 times a day and was late on his child support payments. But telephone records and cancelled checks easily disproved both allegations.

New Jersey state law includes “harassment” in its definition of domestic violence. According to a report issued today, New Jersey and six other states fall in the “Extremely High Risk” category of states with laws that actually encourage false allegations.

“An Epidemic of Civil Rights Abuses: Ranking of States' Domestic Violence Laws” ranks the 50 states and District of Columbia, and identifies which states have laws in greatest need of reform. Those states are Alaska, California, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, and Virginia.

“False allegations of domestic violence allow states' social welfare agencies to tap into federal funding sources,” notes Terri Lynn Tersak, RADAR spokesperson. “The winners become the states with the most intrusive laws, and the losers are the real victims of abuse this money was supposed to serve.”

The report uses the following criteria to identify the best and worst states: loose definitions of domestic violence, financial incentives to file allegations, mandatory arrest laws, primary aggressor laws, and how judges weigh domestic violence allegations in child custody determinations.

“An Epidemic of Civil Rights Abuses: Ranking of States' Domestic Violence Laws” can be viewed at http://www.mediaradar.org/docs/Ranking-of-States-DV-Laws.pdf.

The report was issued by RADAR – Respecting Accuracy in Domestic Abuse Reporting – a non-profit, non-partisan organization working to assure that the problem of domestic violence is treated in a balanced and effective manner.

R.A.D.A.R. – Respecting Accuracy in Domestic Abuse Reporting – is a non-profit, non-partisan organization of men and women working to improve the effectiveness of our nation's approach to solving domestic violence. http://www.mediaradar.org.