Heather Curtis
WASHINGTON (WMAL) – Victims of domestic violence in Maryland achieved a victory Thursday when a new law went into effect that upgraded the charge for strangulation from a misdemeanor to a felony.
“During the legislative session we had many victims come and testify that they wanted their cases to be taken seriously and the penalties to be appropriate, that putting your hands around someone’s neck and depriving them of blood flow and air should not be the same as pushing someone,” said Joyce King, chief counsel at the Frederick County State’s Attorney’s Office.
The upgraded charge carries more prison time for people convicted of strangulation. Under the law passed by the state legislature in March, strangulation became a first-degree felony assault punishable by a maximum of 25 years in prison instead of second-degree misdemeanor assault, which carried a maximum sentence of 10 years.
King explained that strangulation is a particularly dangerous form of domestic violence.
“Women who suffered a non-fatal strangulation with there partners, about, I think, 750% more likely to be killed by the same perpetrators, so we see that the escalation of these cases is deadly,” King said.
The timing of the new law is especially helpful for prosecutors, according to King, since her office has seen a 20% increase in domestic violence cases since the COVID-19 pandemic started. Those cases have also become more severe. The law also took effect on Oct. 1, which is the first day of Domestic Violence Awareness Month.
Maryland was one of the last three states in the country that had not classified strangulation as a felony according to King. She added this was the third attempt in the state in the last decade to upgrade the charge.
Copyright 2020 by WMAL.com. All Rights Reserved. Photo Pixabay
