Oklahoma Senate Approves Bill to Make Domestic Abuse Around Children a Felony

OKLAHOMA CITY – The Oklahoma Senate on Monday overwhelmingly passed legislation from Sen. Bill Coleman, R-Ponca City, that aims to break the cycle of abuse caused by domestic violence.

Coleman passed Senate Bill 1238 42 to 3 to increase penalties for domestic abuse in the presence of a child by making the first offense a felony crime. Currently, the first instance of this crime is a misdemeanor offense. 

“When domestic violence happens in front of a child, that child becomes a victim too,” Coleman said. “Studies show that children who grow up witnessing abuse are far more likely to carry that trauma into adulthood, increasing the chances that they will experience more violence later in life. This legislation works to break the cycle of violence so children don’t grow up living in fear of abuse at home and perpetuating that abuse when they grow up.”

Coleman added that girls raised in a home with abuse are six times more likely to remain in abusive relationships later in life. Meanwhile, boys who grow up seeing their mother abused are 10 times more likely to abuse a female partner when they reach adulthood. 

“Oklahoma continues to have some of the highest rates of domestic violence in the country, and the Legislature has a responsibility to take action to reverse that trend,” Coleman said. “The Senate’s passage of Senate Bill 1238 shows that we are committed to preventing further abuse by protecting victims and their children.”

Coleman’s legislation stems from an October interim study he hosted to explore solutions to the state’s domestic violence crisis. 

Under SB 1238, the minimum penalty for someone convicted of domestic abuse in the presence of a child on a first offense would be one to five years in prison (up from six months to one year) and up to $7,000 in fines. The bill now advances to the House, where Rep. John Pfeiffer, R-Orlando, is the primary author.

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For more information, contact: communications@oksenate.gov