From WisPolitics.com/WisBusiness.com …
— Domestic violence-related homicides rose in 2024 as funding to prevent the issue dropped, according to the annual End Domestic Abuse Wisconsin Homicide Report.
The 23rd annual report showed homicides related to domestic violence increased to 98 from 85 in 2023. Those numbers include homicides directly related to domestic violence, deaths from law enforcement responding to domestic violence calls and domestic violence perpetrators who committed suicide.
The homicides occurred in 27 of Wisconsin’s 72 counties with roughly 53% in rural areas and the remainder in urban areas. Most of the perpetrators, 77%, were male and 70 of the 98 homicides were committed using firearms. Only five of the homicides were considered justified as self defense.
Federal funding to Wisconsin from the Victims of Crime Act also dropped by roughly 70% to $13 million from $44.5 million in October last year.
The state Legislature provided $2.4 million for domestic abuse and $6.4 million for sexual assault-related grants in 2023, but the VOCA cuts still put the state’s victim service programs “under unprecedented strain,” the report notes.
“Many programs depend on VOCA for 60-80% of their budgets,” the report adds. “Without it, staffing has been slashed, shelters have closed rooms or hours, and survivors are increasingly turned away. One shelter closed as recently as August 2025, formerly serving three rural counties for 45 years.”
See the 2025 and past reports here.
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