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Offense Category

Battery


What is it?

Intentionally causing bodily injury or making harmful contact with another individual.

What does our data show?

Domestic battery cases remain the most used within this offense category. But reflecting the steady decrease in overall cases across Cook County, domestic battery cases have decreased by more than 40% between 2000 and 2018. While the number of aggravated domestic battery cases is significantly smaller, cases in which that was the top charge have increased significantly in that time.

Charges

Detailed charts are unavailable for charges with fewer than 750 cases.

  • Felony
  • Misdemeanor
Jan 2000Jan 2004Jan 2008Jan 2012Jan 20160900180027003600

Race and Gender

This data shows that Black people make up the vast majority of criminal defendants charged in Cook County. Of the more than 3 million criminal cases filed in Cook County between 2000 and 2018, more than 61% were filed against Black people, even though Black people only make up 23% of the county’s population.

Research suggests the disparity has more to do with social inequity than an inherent link between race and criminality. Concentrated poverty in urban areas increases the likelihood of certain violent and property crimes, particularly in under-resourced, racially segregated communities. Black people are the most racially isolated group in Cook County and tend to live in communities where intergenerational poverty and violence, abetted by segregation, disinvestment, and institutionalized racism, have limited opportunities for many.

The disparities in charges also reflect inequities and racial bias in policing. Black people are disproportionately targeted for arrest. These numbers reflect overall trends seen in our era of mass incarceration, driven especially by law enforcement strategies such as Broken Windows policing, stop and frisk, disproportionate stops of Black drivers, and disparities in drug arrests.

Charges by Race and Ethnicity

Charges by race and ethnicity, men and women (532,830).

Black291,101 cases54.63%

Charges by race and ethnicity, men only (425,259).

Black228,457 cases53.72%

Charges by race and ethnicity, women only (97,362).

Black62,507 cases64.20%

Charges by Gender

Charges by gender, all races and ethnicities (532,830).

Male425,259 cases79.81%

Charges by gender, Black alone (291,101).

Male228,457 cases78.48%

Charges by gender, white alone (123,018).

Male101,672 cases82.65%

Charges by gender, Latinx alone (73,240).

Male66,584 cases90.91%

Charges by gender, other or unknown race or ethnicity (45,471).

Male28,546 cases62.78%

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2016