It’s important to remember that for an offense to be considered a form of domestic violence, the two people involved must be in a relationship. Domestic violence can only refer to crimes between the following individuals:

• People who are related or share housing.
• Married couples or people in domestic partnerships or formerly married couples and people in domestic partnerships.
• People who have children together.
• People who were previously in an intimate relationship.

Domestic violence is a descriptive term used to describe a wide range of unique crimes that you can be charged with, if accused of domestic violence. There are many different types of domestic violence and the penalties for each charge will depend on the situation.

Listed below are some of the most common types of domestic violence in NY:

• Physical abuse: This can include punching, slapping, pushing, hitting, stabbing, or causing physical harm to someone you are in a relationship with. It can also include things such as withholding physical needs, like food, from someone, or physical help if the person is sick or injured. Rape is also a type of physical abuse.
• Emotional abuse: This type of domestic violence can be more difficult to prove. When a person repeatedly uses verbal attacks to embarrass, degrade, gaslight, manipulate or put down their victims, it can be a form of emotional abuse.
• Isolation: In some instances, an abuser may limit the people their friends and family can see, leaving them socially isolated. Sometimes victims after being abused also choose to isolate themselves from friends and family. Either way, isolation can be a sign of abuse.
• Financial abuse: When someone in a relationship uses their economic power to oppress their partner. This can happen in several ways, such as keeping the victim on a meager allowance, preventing them from working and earning their own money or doing something to sabotage their work. Spending the household’s money on frivolous things can also be a form of financial abuse. The elderly are most often subject to financial abuse.
• Stalking: Most stalking cases are against women. It consists of the unwanted and persistent pursuit of someone, which usually makes the person fear for their lives or that of their loved ones. Stalking often occurs after a relationship has ended. Reading someone’s mail, watching them from afar, or violating a restraining order are all forms of stalking.

Being accused of a domestic violence crime in NY can be a very serious charge and one that if convicted, can have a huge impact on your quality of life. If you were accused of any type of domestic violence, contact a knowledgeable domestic violence attorney in NY right away.