The Lethality Assessment Program: An Innovative Intervention to Intimate Partner Violence

 

The U.S. Department of Justice, Office on Violence Against Women, defines domestic violence as "a pattern of abusive behavior in any relationship that is used by one partner to gain or maintain power and control over another intimate partner. Domestic violence can be physical, sexual, emotional, economic, or psychological actions or threats of actions that influence another person." One way campus law enforcement and other community professionals can prevent domestic violence homicides and serious injuries is through the use of the Lethality Assessment Program (LAP).

 

Developed by the Maryland Network Against Domestic Violence (MNADV), the Lethality Assessment Program is an intervention that occurs at the scene of an intimate partner violence (IPV) incident. The dual goals of the Lethality Assessment Program are to educate IPV victims about risk factors for homicide and to connect them with support and safety planning services. The LAP is initiated when a trained officer arrives at the scene of a domestic call, or when a community professional believes a victim of abuse may be in danger, and assesses the victim's situation. If there is concern about the risk of lethality to the victim, the individual conducting the risk assessment screen will ask the victim to answer eleven evidence-based questions known as the Lethality Screen for First Responders (PDF). Both campus police and campus security can use this screen when interviewing a domestic violence victim. If the victim's response indicates an increased risk for serious injury or homicide, the officer or community professional advises the victim he/she is going to call the local domestic violence hotline at a collaborating advocacy organization for information on planning for the victim's safety. The officer or community professional encourages the victim to speak with the hotline advocate, but talking on the phone is always the victim's decision.

 

According to the MNADV, "an important by-product of the LAP has been improved partnerships and collaboration among law enforcement officers and other community practitioners and advocates. New guidelines were created for hotline advocates who speak to High-Danger victims and special protocols have been developed for health care providers. LAP best practices now include follow-up telephone calls and team officer-advocate home visits to victims to provide support and encouragement to use program services, and the screening of victims in court prior to or following temporary protective order hearings." NIJ recently funded the first-ever study to determine the effectiveness of the LAP program. The evaluation found that women who received intervention engaged in more protective strategies and experienced less frequency and severity of violence. The article, " Research Designs in the Real World: Testing the Effectiveness of an IPV Intervention," discusses the process behind this evaluation.  You may download a full report on the evaluation here (PDF). 

 

The National Domestic Violence Fatality Review Initiative offers multimedia content to increase access to information from experts. Click here to view an interview with David Sargent, a 21-year law enforcement veteran who now works for the MNADV, on his experience with running the Lethality Assessment Program.