Ruiz Bill to Protect Survivors of Domestic Violence Advances

Trenton – Legislation sponsored by Senate President Pro Tempore M. Teresa Ruiz, which would create a presumption that a person charged with domestic violence by strangling the victim be detained prior to trial, was released from the Senate Law and Public Safety Committee today.

“Almost half of all domestic violence homicide victims had previously been strangled by their partner. The action is a signal of escalating violence which often times the victim does not survive. Yet, as it stands, many individuals charged with aggravated assault by strangulation are released back into the public,” said Senator Ruiz (D-Essex). “These individuals, mostly women, come forward and report the most traumatic moment of their lives and we let their abusers back on the streets to await trial. That is unacceptable. We have a responsibility to survivors to take these statistics seriously, to read these warning signs and to implement measures to protect them.”

Under the bill, S-701, if a court finds probable cause that a defendant committed aggravated assault by strangling a domestic violence victim there would be a rebuttable presumption that the person is to be detained pending trial.

The bill was released from committee by a vote of 6-0.