(SANTA CLARA COUNTY, Calif.) On Tuesday, the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors agreed to expand the county's strangulation response program with a $750,000 grant.
The funds will be used to provide victims with forensic medical exams, advocacy, and other forms of care, NBC Bay Area reported.
For victims who decided to take a medical forensic exam, the criminal case was filed as serious felony charges compared to misdemeanor charges 86% of the time. In cases without medical exams, the rate dropped to 28.8%, according to the county's Office of Gender-Based Violence Prevention.
County Supervisor Cindy Chavez said forensic exams in cases of intimate partner violence give an opportunity to provide medical care for victims and prevent homicides.
"Intimate partners who are victims of non-fatal strangulation are seven times more likely to die by homicide than those who have not been strangled," said Chavez, per the news outlet. "The research has been clear for a decade now that choking strongly predicts future homicide."
The county has also approved the plan of including one attorney and one investigator position in the District Attorney's Office to focus on seizing firearms from delinquents of domestic abuse.
The Sexual Assault Felony Enforcement task force has also increased and guides survivors through medical treatments, evidence collection and court testimony.