CRIMES THAT ARE CONSIDERED TO BE DOMESTIC VIOLENCE

I have written previously that domestic violence can be virtually any crime that is committed against another household member or family member. While that is true, Washington State law says that certain crimes definitely qualify as domestic violence. It is important to know what these offenses are because not all of them are necessarily violent. Under Washington State law the crimes that are automatically considered to be domestic violence include:

Assault in the first degree; Assault in the second degree; Assault in the third degree; Assault in the fourth degree;
Drive-by Shooting;
Reckless Endangerment;
Coercion;
Burglary in the first degree; Burglary in the second degree ;
Criminal trespass in the first degree; Criminal trespass in the second degree
Malicious Mischief in the first degree; Malicious mischief in the second degree; Malicious Mischief in the third degree
Kidnapping in the first degree;
Kidnapping in the second degree;
Unlawful Imprisonment;
Rape in the first degree; Rape in the second degree;
Residential Burglary;
Stalking;
Interference With the Reporting of Domestic Violence

Washington law also says that a violation of a no-contact order is considered to be domestic violence. Not all of these crimes are necessarily violent; most notably criminal trespass, burglary, and violation of a no-contact order. Remember that the Washington State legislature has made the above crimes essentially domestic violence per se, but that does not mean that the list is exhaustive; other offenses that are not included in the above list may still be considered to be domestic violence by the courts nonetheless.