New Special Collection: Intimate Partner Homicide Prevention
Intimate Partner Homicide Prevention (July 2011) explores the most tragic consequence of domestic violence and offers a variety of tools and information towards its prevention. The collection outlines the scope of the problem; provides an overview of tools and strategies for assessing danger or the risk of lethality
in domestic violence cases; recommendations and approaches for utilizing the fatality review process to prevent intimate partner homicide; materials describing various systems’ responses to domestic violence and efforts to prevent homicide; resources to assist advocates in helping to frame the issue through media response and community mobilization; and resources addressing the grief and trauma experienced by loved ones of those whose lives are lost to domestic violence.
This resource was developed by VAWnet and the National Resource Center on Domestic Violence, with contributions from the Battered Women’s Justice Project, Washington State Coalition Against Domestic Violence, Florida Coalition Against Domestic Violence, and Pennsylvania Coalition Against Domestic Violence.
Thank you for pulling together so many great resources for this Special Collection. I especially thank you for calling attention to the award-winning project of the Maryland Network Against Domestic Violence, which is the Lethality Assessment Program–Maryland Model (LAP). While once a program used strictly by law enforcement, this model has evolved to include health care providers in the hospital setting, court personnel, the clergy, departments of social services, and a multitude of other community workers. The LAP has also seen an expansion in best practices, which includes special communication guidelines for hotline workers, victim follow-up protocols, and the identification of “high danger” victims who are seeking orders of protection in the courts. Is the LAP effective in preventing homicides? We think so. While other states are dealing with soaring intimate partner homicides, Maryland has seen a 41% reduction in these crimes over the past three years. This year, we expect to see a further drop. While we can never be sure the LAP is responsible for this turn of events in Maryland, we are cautiously optimistic that it is. Please visit our website at http://www.mnadv.org for more information on the LAP and how you can bring it to your state.
Thanks for your comment. We are so appreciative of your amazing work in Maryland! It’s a great model. Congratulations on your success!