Criminal Domestic Violence in South Carolina
Attorney General Henry McMaster has named domestic violence as the number one crime problem in South Carolina. More than 36,000 victims annually report a domestic violence incident to law enforcement agencies around the state. Over the past thirteen years, an average of thirty-three (33) women have been killed each year by their intimate partner.
Domestic violence has become a crisis in the Palmetto State. The Office of the Attorney General has designed two programs to drastically reduce the incidences of this horrible crime: the S.T.O.P. Violence Against Women Program and the Pro Bono Program. Please click on the programs' related links for more information.
General Information
Criminal Domestic Violence Dedicated Prosecutors
Domestic Violence Shelters and Organizations
Speaker Request Form
Report a 2009 Domestic Violence Homicide
Training Information
Join the Office of the Attorney General and the Criminal Justice Academy for a free, one-day training on Criminal Domestic Violence. Trainings are geared for Law Enforcement Officers, Judges, Attorneys and Victim Advocates. All trainings are approved for CLE, JCLE, CLEE, OVSEC, and Non-Social Work Hours.
Training Sessions
Silent Witness
Currently South Carolina ranks ninth in the nation for the amount of homicides caused by criminal domestic violence. Each year in October, the Attorney General hosts a Silent Witness ceremony to honor the victims from the preceding year. During this ceremony, wooden silhouettes represent the women and men who have died due to domestic violence in South Carolina during the previous year. Attorney General Henry McMaster will read the name of each victim and the circumstances of their death. As each name is read, volunteers or family members of the victim carry the silhouette and take a place on the State House steps. The event is open to the public. For more information about Silent Witness, or to find out how you can be a volunteer, please contact Yolanda Knox at (803) 734-3745.
Silent Witness Ceremony - October 5
Contact Information
Violence Against Women and Pro Bono
Program Coordinator
803-734-3745