The Added Stress of the Holiday Season and Its Relation to Domestic Violence

December 19, 2022
man beating up his wife illustrating domestic violence

The holiday season is supposed to be a time for joy and celebration, but for some, it’s their worst nightmare. Holidays allow many to enjoy days or weeks where they can spend time with their family at home or elsewhere. Despite the quality time holidays offer, domestic violence persists.

Moreover, the holiday season can be particularly stressful for many people, and this added stress can increase the risk of domestic violence. Factors contributing to this increased risk include financial stress, increased alcohol consumption, and family conflicts. With these, the holiday season can also exacerbate existing problems in a relationship, such as communication issues or unresolved conflicts.

But how exactly can someone get charged with domestic violence because of the added stress the holiday season causes?

Domestic Violence During the Holidays

Celebration may be in order for the holidays, but your season to be jolly can turn into stress, then charged with domestic violence. Here are some examples –

  1. Increased Alcohol Consumption: The holiday season is often associated with parties and social events where alcohol is consumed. When people drink, they may become more impulsive and less able to control their emotions, which can lead to violence.
  2. Financial Stress: The holidays can be an expensive time of the year, and financial stress can contribute to increased tension in a relationship. This can lead to verbal or physical altercations.
  3. Family Conflicts: The holiday season can bring up unresolved family issues and conflicts leading to violence.
  4. Communication Breakdown: The added stress of the holiday season can exacerbate existing problems in a relationship, such as communication issues. This can also lead to verbal or physical altercations.

Legal Defenses Against Domestic Violence

Not all accused of domestic violence are guilty. In fact, not all who are guilty are bad people. Sometimes domestic assault cases happen as a result of heightened stress and the absence of tools to manage it. That doesn’t make an act of domestic violence right, but certainly mitigates things and provides an explanation for why otherwise peaceful people seem to run into these situations during the holidays.

Regardless of the situation, the domestic abuse laws in VA are serious and demand you consider possible defenses. If you’ve been charged with domestic violence during the holiday season, there are several legal defenses and mitigation theories that your domestic abuse attorney in VA may use to help defend your case, including the following: 

  1. Self-defense: If you were defending yourself or someone else from an imminent threat of harm, your domestic abuse attorney might argue that your actions were in self-defense.
  2. False Accusation: Your domestic abuse lawyer may argue that the allegations of domestic violence are false and that the evidence against you has been fabricated. 
  3. Lack of Evidence: If there’s a lack of evidence to support the allegations of domestic violence, your attorney may argue that the prosecution doesn’t have enough evidence to prove their case against you.
  4. Intense Stress: If the stress and pressure of the holiday season caused you to suffer a breakdown, your domestic violence attorney in VA might use this to mitigate your case.
  5. Recalcitrant Complainant: If the person who is the object of an alleged domestic violence event expresses that they do not want the matter to proceed, it will be taken into serious consideration by the prosecution. However, the prosecution still has the final word on whether a charge gets dropped or otherwise creatively disposed.
  6. Mutual Combat: The concept of mutual combat asserts that both parties were involved in the altercation and that the actions of the defendant were in response to the actions of the alleged complainant. 

Our domestic abuse lawyer at Rudolphi Law can give you guidance and defend you if charged with domestic violence. We will walk you through each step to ensure you understand the law. We’ll discuss your options and use our extensive knowledge and experience to argue your case. Call us today, and let’s start building a strong defense.