What is defined as domestic violence in Oregon?

The Governor’s Council on Domestic Violence defines domestic violence as “a pattern of coercive behavior used by one person to control and subordinate another in an intimate relationship.”

The Oregon Revised Statutes further define “domestic violence” in ORS 135.230 to mean abuse between family or household members. "Family or household members" means any of the following:

Spouses,

Former spouses,

Adult persons related by blood or marriage,

Persons cohabiting with each other, Persons who have cohabited with each other or who have been involved in a sexually intimate relationship, or

Unmarried parents of a minor child.

In Oregon, there is no single crime of domestic violence. The term is used to describe any number ofcrimes (assault, murder, burglary, harassment, menacing) that occur between family or household members.

Batterer Intervention Programs

Many courts require batterers to attend an intervention program as a condition of probation. Batterer Intervention Programs are part of a broad approach to domestic violence. Interventions are generally tailored to a specific type of batterer based on psychological factors, risk assessment and/or substance abuse history. The intervention program is designed to stop violence and prevent the recurrence of future violence, identify abusive behaviors, and teach participants alternatives to violence.