Black and Hispanic women make up about 25% of Connecticut's female population but make up over half of women arrested for domestic violence in the state last year. That’s according to the U.S. Census American Community Survey.
Police records show that in 2020, Black and Hispanic women were charged in over 3,600 domestic violence cases compared to 2,960 for white women.
Not only are the total arrests targeting Black women higher, those women often face harsher penalties and longer court proceedings, according to public defenders.
They said something that might change this statistic is hiring a more diverse police force and educating law enforcement in cultural competency.
Jassette Henry with Public Defender Services told Hearst Connecticut Media that another part of the issue is that there are law offices that have no Black or Hispanic public defenders.
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