The state is seeing an increase in the number of young domestic violence perpetrators, according to a new state report.

State lawmakers passed legislation in 2022 requiring the collection of data related to domestic violence in the state that includes domestic violence, arrests, shelter, use and reports of child abuse.

According to the 2024 Kentucky Domestic Violence Report, there were more than 32,000 forms referred to as JK threes filed for domestic or dating violence.

Almost 8000 arrests involving domestic, domestic or dating violence and abuse, and more than 15,000 people received services from zero V, the state's coalition of domestic violence programs.

Zero V, along with the Kentucky State Police, the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services, and the Administrative Office of the courts all provided data for the report.

We spoke with Olivia Spradlin, a policy expert with zero V, about the report and the statistic that stood out most to her agency, overseeing arrests around domestic violence and dating violence that are occurring within JK threes.

Just over 9% of that population is between the ages of 13 and 17.

When we think about children and domestic violence, we often think about children as witnesses to domestic violence and not necessarily children as as committing it.

So that number to us was something that we'd really want to know more about what's occurring there, what's happening there.

And also what are ways that we can prevent that from happening.

Even one instance of domestic violence is too much.

So really, anything we can do in terms of prevention would be really great.

I think that's something that has been, not gotten maybe the same amount of intention, attention and investment as some of the services have.

So I think that's an area that would be great to see more, attention around and more investment in, you know, any time we can stop someone from becoming a survivor or stop someone from becoming a perpetrator, I think that's worth doing.

Thinking about not just risk factors, but also protective factors is a really great way to reframe that.

And so how can we create healthy environments and healthy relationships?

And what are those things that individual societal community levels, that we can support.

Again, for those like protective factors.

So the legislators in the state, agencies that have put their time and energy and effort into the report and for their partnership on it, I think it's hopeful that so many agencies are working together on this.

How do we solve this issue of domestic violence?

It's at the end of the day, a really complex issue.

And there's not one solution to it.

I do think, again, going back to the high numbers of children being in those both in terms of coming into shelters, of receiving our services and also of children who are again, showing up in that, JK three table, as perpetrating it that that focus on, on prevention, would be a very worthwhile investment.

030V rather says it received more than 23,000 calls to its domestic violence hotline last year.