State Rep. Becky Corbin
Flanked by fellow legislators, top prosecutors from across the state, and victims’ rights advocates, Rep. Becky Corbin (R-Chester) today held a news conference at the Capitol to urge passage of legislation she has introduced that would make strangulation a felony in Pennsylvania.
House Bill 1581 would close a loophole in state law that has allowed some domestic abusers to escape prosecution. Currently, strangulation does not neatly fit into existing criminal categories in Pennsylvania. The result is that perpetrators of strangulation are often faced only with low-level misdemeanors that do not reflect the serious nature of their crime
Specifically, the Corbin bill would define criminal strangulation as “knowingly or intentionally impeding the breathing or circulation of blood of another person by applying pressure to the throat or neck, or blocking the nose and mouth of a person.”
Corbin, who served as a commissioner with the Brandywine Regional Police in Chester County prior to her tenure in the Legislature, said House Bill 1581 would give law enforcement and prosecutors the tools they need to bring domestic abusers to justice who have otherwise evaded prosecution.
“An individual can be choked within an inch of her or his life, and in most instances, it is her life, with very few – if any – visible markers,” said Corbin. “When police or paramedics arrive and find a victim conscious and alert, it is sometimes assumed that the assault must not have been that serious. In reality, however, that individual may have been only seconds from death – nearly murdered. This bill would bring Pennsylvania law into line with those in 35 other states, recognizing the severity of this violent crime.”
“Strangulation is a common and dangerous means of assault in domestic violence cases, and a known risk factor for homicide,” said Pennsylvania Coalition Against Domestic Violence (PCADV) Executive Director Peg J. Dierkers. “Rep. Corbin’s bill will, if implemented, give law enforcement and our criminal justice system the tools they need to hold perpetrators of this crime accountable.’”
According to the PCADV, there were 141 domestic violence-related fatalities in Pennsylvania last year; of the 97 victims killed, six were strangled. Additionally, the coalition announced that one study indicates the odds of becoming a homicide victim increase by 800 percent for women who had been strangled by their partner.
The news conference was held this week in recognition that October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month.
For more information, please visit www.RepCorbin.com or www.Facebook.com/RepCorbin.
