This society has a major interest in limiting violence between domestic partners. Generally, judges and law officers view domestic violence (DV) as a crime of the utmost seriousness in Texas. DV covers all types of domestic injuries, threats of physical violence and unwanted physical contact. To secure a DV conviction, the state’s prosecutor must show that the offending party acted intentionally. If the violent incident in question led to physical injury, the prosecutor typically must demonstrate that the injury was directly related to DV.
Assault, battery, and domestic violence are crimes that undermine the family unit, the foundational unit of society. Still, DV laws are not merely designed to protect people in marriages. These laws have application to a wide variety of people who are domestically affiliated or connected. Texas DV statutes apply to people who live together, blood relatives and people who are dating each other.
Foster kids and foster parents are also considered domestically related for the purpose of enforcing DV laws. When a person has past violent convictions, this can deeply affect the outcome of any new DV charges. Texas law recognizes that people have the right to defend themselves from physical attack.
Far too often, people are falsely charged and arrested for acts of DV they didn’t commit. Because assault, battery and domestic violence can lead to severe jail time, false accusations of this type are potentially life-changing. A defendant facing a false accusation of this type could feel deep dread, dread that can interfere with work and the tasks of daily life. Potentially, a person in this situation might be able to restore life equilibrium by hiring an effective criminal defense attorney.