Non-Fatal Strangulation Laws and Intimate Partner Homicides

Dércio de Assis, Arpita Ghosh, Sonia Oreffice and Climent Quintana-Domeque
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Dércio de Assis: School of Economics, University of Nottingham
Climent Quintana-Domeque: Department of Economics, University of Exeter

No 2501, Discussion Papers from University of Exeter, Department of Economics

Abstract: Do non-fatal strangulation laws save lives? Non-fatal strangulation (NFS) is a common and dangerous form of intimate partner violence (IPV) and a predictor of homicide, yet it was historically neglected by the criminal justice system. Since the year 2000, most U.S. states have enacted laws enlisting NFS as a standalone criminal offense. We compile a novel dataset on state NFS statutes and link it to the FBI Supplementary Homicide Reports from 1990 to 2019 to estimate the causal effects of these laws on IPH rates. Using a difference-in-differences strategy, and an estimator that accounts for staggered adoption and treatment heterogeneity, we find that NFS laws led to significant reductions in IPH rates. We estimate that these laws reduce female-victim IPH by 14% and male-victim IPH by 36%, among victims aged 18-34. No significant effects are observed for victims 50 and above or for homicides committed by strangers. Event-study estimates support the parallel trends assumption. Our findings suggest that NFS laws can disrupt the escalation of IPV and reduce lethal outcomes.

Keywords: intimate partner violence; gender; difference-in-differences; criminal justice policy (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: C21 I18 J12 J16 J78 K14 K42 N92 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025-06-27, Revised 2025-07-11
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-law
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