Violence

Alabama's #11 Health Indicator

Alabamians identified violence as the eleventh most significant current health indicator in AL. Violence affects an individual long after the initial incident occurs. A community approach to help prevent violence and understand the risk and protective factors of violence is essential for the health, safety, and well-being of that population (CDC Violence Prevention).

Disproportionately Affected Populations

Women and minority groups are more vulnerable to acts of violence against them. According to CDC, 1 in 5 women and nearly 1 in 7 men in the U.S. have experienced some form of intimate partner violence during their lifetime(CDC Violence Prevention). The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) system reports that the motivation for single-bias hate crime incidents across the U.S. targeted victims for their race (57.6 percent), religion (20.1 percent), and sexual orientation (16.7 percent) in 2019 (FBI UCR).

Geographic Variation

Crime statistics are considered a valuable indicator for neighborhood safety, particularly firearm violence. Rural areas typically have higher death rates due to longer emergency transport times after any accident.

Alabama Violence Highlights

The Alabama Violent Death Reporting System (AVDRS) is a statewide surveillance program within ADPH and funded by CDC. AVDRS collects detailed information on deaths resulting from violence across the state. Death statistics include suicides, homicides, unintentional firearm deaths, and legal intervention deaths. Data are also retrieved from ADPH Center for Health Statistic Mortality Files:

• In 2019, firearms contributed to most of the suicides/intentional self-harm-related deaths (51.2 percent) and homicides (45.4 percent) in AL.
• In AL, males are four times more likely to die from violent deaths than females (49.8 deaths compared 12.0 deaths per 100,000 persons).

Health Indicators

• Violence Overview
• Violent Crimes (Data Link)
• Violent Deaths (Data Download)
• Firearm-related Deaths (Data Link)

Resources

• 2nd Chance, Inc
• Alabama Appleseed Center for Law and Justice
• Alabama Child Death Review System
• Alabama Law Enforcement Agency
• Alabama Violent Death Reporting System
• CDC Violence Prevention
• Crisis Center of Russell County
• Hope Place
• Occupational Safety and Health Administration
• National Institute of Justice
• SafeHouse of Shelby County
• UAB Injury Control Research Center