The End Strangulation Act (S2147, H7242) about helping to prevent the tragedy of domestic violence homicides. When a batterer strangles his victim, he’s telling us that he is on the path toward murder.  We must hold him accountable before the violence escalates.  

Domestic violence is a pattern in which an abuser uses violence to maintain power and control in a relationship.  When you are strangled, your abuser is telling you that he holds your life in his hands and has the power to end it. A domestic violence victim who has been strangled is over nine times more likely to be murdered than one who has not. 

In states where strangulation is a felony, police officers and prosecutors have found such statutes to be a valuable tool for holding the most dangerous batterers accountable for their crimes. Shouldn't victims in Rhode Island have the same protection?