Pennsylvania Coalition Against Domestic Violence December 2015

Watch for our announcement of the new PA LAP Statistic Online Dashboard – COMING SOON!

Assessing Lethality Risk in Domestic Violence Cases

December 2015

Lethality Assessment Tools .................................... 2

Pennsylvania’s Lethality Assessment Program ......... 5

More Resources About LAP Tools .......................... 6

Pettingill v. Pettingill, Supreme Ct. of Kentucky ..... 7

Every judge who has heard any volume of domestic violence cases also has a “first death” story. Those judges want exactly what I want––information that will help predict which of the avalanche of cases we see each day is likely to end up as the newest death case. –The Hon. Deborah White-Labora, Every Judge’s Nightmare: When a Domestic Violence Case Turns Lethal, Am. Bar Ass’n, Family Advocate, 2008.

JudgeWhite-Laboraandotherjudgeslikeherwantreliableinformationsothatthedecisionstheymakeincasesinvolvingdomesticviolencedonotendinahomicide.Tohelpwiththesecomplexdecisions, reliable, research-based tools haveevolvedover the lastdecade tohelp judgesmakedifficultandpotentially lifesavingdecisions.Courts,advocates,and lawenforcementcanbenefitfromrecognizingprovendangerand lethalityassessment toolsand incorporatingeffective toolsintotheirservicedeliveryanddecision-making.

Although courts struggle every day to make appropriate decisions in domestic violence cases,sadly many of those cases still end in homicide. The number of domestic violence homicidevictims inPennsylvaniahas steadilydeclinedsince2010.Yet in2014,97victims– includingfourchildren – were killed. Forty-four perpetrators killed themselves or were killed. Nearly half ofthosemurderedwereshot.Readthe2014FatalityStatistics.

ThisissueofTheJuristdiscusseseffectivelethalityassessmenttoolsandtheLethalityAssessmentProgramthathasbeenimplementedbyPCADV, localdomesticviolenceservicecentersand161jurisdictions in 38Pennsylvania counties. It also discusses a lethality tool that New York judgesusedinprotectionordercases.

The Jurist A Newsletter for Pennsylvania Judges

About Domestic Violence

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Lethality Assessment Tools None of us wants to enter an unfounded [protection order], but our real nightmare is having a case end up on the six o’clock news and realizing we could have done something more. –The Hon. Deborah White-Labora, Every Judge’s Nightmare: When a Domestic Violence Case Turns Lethal, Am. Bar Ass’n, Family Advocate, 2008.

Research-Based Danger Assessment Tools

Numerous tools have been created to evaluate the risk of lethality to a victim or risk ofrecidivismofadefendant.Oneofthefirsttoolscreatedwasthe1986DangerAssessmentbyDr.JacquelynCampbellofJohnsHopkinsUniversitySchoolofNursing. Thetoolwasbasedonher studyof intimatepartnerhomicideand clinical experiencesasanurseprovidingcare towomeninsheltersandthehealthcaresystemwhoreportedexperiencingdomesticviolence.The Danger Assessment tool is used in confidential social services settings by a certifiedprovider.Partoftheassessmentprocessinvolvesthevictimrecordingonacalendarwhenandhowdomesticviolenceincidentsoccurred.Thereisalsoa20-questionsurveythatrelateseachquestion (such as “Has he/she ever choked you?”) to a specific weighted risk factor forintimatepartnerhomicide. Data froman independentsampleofwomenwhosepartnersorex-partnerstriedtokillthemwasusedtovalidatethefactorsasaccuratepredictorsofriskoflethality for intimate partner violence victims.1 Since the creation of the tool, it has beenwidelyusedinhospitalsanddomesticviolenceshelters.SomedomesticviolenceprogramsinPennsylvaniauseDr.Campbell’sdangerassessmentprocess inoptionscounselingandsafetyplanningwithvictims.

Criminal Justice Use of Risk Assessment Tools

Criminal justice agencies, such as law enforcement and probation, also use risk assessmenttools,albeitfordifferentpurposes.Lawenforcementuseslethalityassessmenttoolstobetterconsiderthelevelofdangerinvolvedinadomesticviolencesituationandtoconnectvictimstoservices.Probationagentsusesuchtoolstoassessoffendersforriskofreoffending.2Since2012,numerous lawenforcement agencies throughoutPennsylvaniahave implemented theLethality Assessment Program, or LAP, in cooperation with their local domestic violenceprograms.Specificallydesignedtobeadministeredby trained lawenforcementofficers, the11screeningquestionsidentifyat-riskvictims.Theofficeradvisesthevictimoflocaldomesticviolence services, including safety planning, and calls the participating domestic violenceprogram,givingthevictimanimmediatelifeline.

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What a Risk Assessment Tool is NOT:

ü NOTastand-alonetool:answersarenotvalidwithoutthecontextprovidedbydiscussionwiththepetitioner

ü NOTathresholdtesttodetermineifthereis“enough”abusetograntordenyapetition

ü NOTaquestionnairetobefilledoutorscoredinanyway

ü NOTasubstituteforthecourt’sdiscretionindeterminingthecredibilityoftheallegationsandweighingthefactorsasperthelaw

ü NOTjudicialnoticebutafactorinanoveralldecision(seePettingillv.Pettingill,page7)

Six weeks later…in the middle of a parking lot at a very busy mall…he shot and killed his eight-year-old daughter, a neighbor, and then his wife… I was shocked and angry when I learned that the mall shooter was someone I had released on bond.

–The Hon. Deborah White-Labora

Courtscanalsoutilizeriskassessmentintheirdecision-making. Due to the high volume of domestic violencecasesandcivilprotectionorders,courtsareoftenfacedwithmakingcriticaldecisionswith limitedinformation.Theinformationgatheredbyariskassessmenttoolcanhelp courts to prioritize domestic violence cases andcraftorders that accurately respond to the risks facedbyvictims.

A Tool Tailored for Courts In2012,the8thJudicialDistrictinwesternNewYorkidentifiedtheissueofriskassessmentasa crucial component to judicial decision-making in domestic violence cases.3 TheNew YorkStateOfficeofCourtAdministrationandtheCenterforCourt Innovation,orCCI,usedfederalfundingtosupportitsJudicialRiskAssessmentProject.4Thegoalwastodevelopaprocessthatwouldincorporateassistancefromvictimadvocatesandguidebutnotlimitjudicialreview.CCIstaff thendraftedaFamilyCourt JudicialGuide toDomesticViolenceRiskFactors forusebyjudges.Theguideisatwo-sidedcardtobeusedby:

• Personsassistingpetitionerstodraftordersofprotectionpetitions• Judgesconductinginitial,dispositional,modificationandviolationhearings

TheCCIguideincludesachartidentifyingriskfactorstolookforinapetition,clarifyingquestionstoasktheplaintiff,andNewYorkfamilylawspecifictoeachofthefactors.Itallowsjudgestoviewapetition’slanguagethroughthelensofsafetyriskfactors,togatheradditionalcriticalinformation,andtoapplycaselawandremediesthatwouldaccuratelyaddresstheriskindicatedbythecircumstances.ViewtheCCIguideathttp://pubs.pcadv.net/palegal/NYJudicialGuideToDVriskFactors_CCI_benchcard_05012014.pdf

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OverwhelminglyPositiveFeedback

The Domestic Risk Factor Guide was piloted in2013inErieCounty,N.Y.,bytwojudgesandonecourt attorney referee. Advocates with thecommunity-based domestic violence program,Haven House, agreed to use the tool whenworking with petitioners in the family court,assisting victims to file petitions and to createsafetyplans.After thepetitionswere filed, twoof the judicial officers used the guide to helpprovide context for their review and questionsforthepetitioner.

Feedback on the usefulness of the guide wasoverwhelmingly positive. Judges particularlyfoundthelegalframeworkuseful.

Judges used the guide primarily at ex-partetemporary protection order hearings to guidequestioning of the petitioner about particularincidentsaswellas togauge thecontextof theviolence. They also found the guide helpful inmaking decisions regarding modifications oforders,particularlyforviolationhearings.

Mostimportantly,judgessawadifferenceinthequalityofthe information inpetitionswhentheadvocate or court clerk used the guide withpetitioners:thepetitionshadmore information,allowing judges to make more informeddecisions.

It is important to note that, while riskassessments can provide court with additionalinformation, they should never be used as abasistodenyapetition.

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In addition, the court must rememberPennsylvania’s absolute privilege ofconfidentiality for domestic violence advocates.New York has a very limited privilege ofconfidentiality.Afterhelpingvictimstocompletepetitions, Pennsylvania domestic violenceadvocatesareprohibitedfromdiscussingdetailswiththecourt.Victim input is critical, as victims typically knowthe level of risk they face. In some cases,lethality assessment awakens a victim to thehigh risk they face from their abuser. Althoughrisk assessment tools are not perfect in theirpredictions, they can assist courts by elicitingadditional, critical information from thepetitioner that judges can use in craftingeffectiveorders.Endnotes1Jacquelyn C. Campbell, DanielW.Webster andNancy Glass,The Danger Assessment: Validation of a Lethality RiskAssessment Instrument for Intimate Partner Femicide, 24 J.Interpersonal. Violence 653 (2008), available athttps://www.dangerassessment.org/uploads/DA_Validation_of_a_Lethality_Risk_Assessment_Instrument-Campbell.pdf2 Risk assessment tools currently being used include, but arenot limited, to: DV Mosaic used for criminal justice andlethality risk; DVSI-R used for criminal justice and re-offenserisk; PSI (Duluth) used for advocates and criminal justice andsafety measures; SARA used for criminal justice, structuredclinical judgment and re-offense risk; LAP used for lawenforcement and advocates and based on the DangerAssessment.3AssessingtheRiskforDomesticViolence:APilotinNewYork,Center for Court Innovation (2014)., available athttp://www.courtinnovation.org/sites/default/files/documents/Erie%20Risk%20Assessmentpilotdocument.final%20(3).pdf4Id.

…instead of finding a pattern or typical case, I learned that some of the cases started out as civil matters, whereas others began with an arrest… felony… but more frequently it was a misdemeanor charge. In some of the cases, the allegations in the petition or arrest form were horrific, in others, minimal… [there was] no correlation between the severity of the allegations and the eventual outcome. –The Hon. Deborah White-Labora

PCADVwillbeprovidingcourtswithmoreinformationandresourcesonlethalityandriskassessmentin2016.IfyouareinterestedinincorporatingRiskAssessmentintoyourjudicialdecision-making,pleasecontactPCADV’sLegalDepartment:888-235-3425

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If your court has not yet heard about lethality assessment in domestic violence cases, you may soon hear parties and law enforcement talking about the results of a lethality screen. There are a number of lethality tools being used across the country. Some, but not all, have a strong grounding in research. What they have in common is a goal of trying to identify various factors in victims’ or abusers’ lives that may heighten the risk of lethality. In Pennsylvania, many jurisdictions are already using the evidence-based Lethality Assessment Screen, developed by the Maryland Network Against Domestic Violence. An explanation of the assessment tool follows.

Pennsylvania Lethality Assessment Program - LAP The Lethality Assessment Program is a nationally recognized, evidence-based initiative withdemonstrated success in strengthening partnerships between law enforcement and domesticviolence service providers. LAP connects victims of domestic violence with life-saving services,therebyreducingdomesticviolencefatalities.

Alawenforcementofficerrespondingtothesceneofadomesticviolenceincidentasksthevictim11questions.Thesequestionsareprovenbyresearchers(suchasDr.JacquelineCampbell,seepage2)toidentifyfactorsthatplaceavictimathighriskofbeingmurderedbytheirintimatepartner.Whenavictimscreensathigh

riskforlethality,theofficercallsthelocaldomesticviolencehotlineandencouragesthevictimtospeakwiththehotlineadvocate.The

hotlineadvocatehelpsthevictimmakeasafetyplanandencouragesthevictimtoaccessdomesticviolenceservices.PCADVbeganimplementingLAPinPennsylvaniain2012with12pilotsites.ByApril1,2016,163policedepartmentsin38countieswillbeusingLAPtohelpsavethelivesofdomesticviolencevictims.ThisexpansionhasestablishedafirmfoundationfortheimplementationofLAPstatewide.

WhileLAPisanewinitiativeforPennsylvania,atleast350lawenforcementagenciesand48domesticviolenceserviceprovidersin14stateshavesuccessfullyimplementedLAP.InMaryland,whereLAPoriginatedandisusedbyeverylawenforcementagencyanddomesticviolenceprogram,theincidenceofdomesticviolencehomicideshasdeclinedmeasurably.

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Other Resources About LAP and Risk Assessment

WEBINAR:PoliceDepartment’sUseoftheLethalityAssessmentProgram,Jan.19,2016.TheNIJ-fundedstudy,thefirstrigorousevaluationoftheLAP,revealsthatwomenwhoparticipatedintheLAPengagedinmorehelp-seekingandexperiencedlessviolence7monthspost-intervention.HostedbytheBatteredWomen’sJusticeDepartment,PresentersJacquelineCampbell,JillMessing,BeverlyPatchell.

ResearchBehindthe11LAPQuestions–Whatfactorspredictdeadlyriskinadomesticviolencecase?PennsylvaniaLAPProgramandStatistics–HowhasLAPscreening

inthecommonwealthincreasedvictims’awarenessofanduseofdomesticviolenceservices?BENCHCARD-BailConsiderationsinDomesticViolenceCases

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Collaboration: Power To Prevent Domestic Violence Homicides

Theessentialandcommoncomponentofstrategiestoreducedomesticviolenceiscollaboration.Countiesimplementprotocolsforpromptandconsistentresponsestovictimsseekingsafetyandjustice.Lawenforcementagenciesworkwithdomesticviolenceadvocatessothatvictimsatthehighestriskofharmaccesslifesavingdomesticviolenceprogramservices.Collaborativeeffortsprioritize

thecommongoalofvictimsafety.

TheLAPteamcaninformthecourts,prosecutorsandlawenforcementaboutresearch-basedlethalityfactorsindicatingthatadomesticviolencevictimisathighriskofbeingkilled,andwhy.Forexample,ascreeningquestionasksabouttheoffender’saccesstoguns.Researchshowsthatwomenwhosepartnerthreatensthemwithagunorotherweaponare20timesmorelikelytosubsequentlybemurderedthanotherabusedwomen.

Prosecutors,judges,andpolicewhoareawareofthefirearmslethalityfactoraremorelikelytotakestepstoremovethisthreatindomesticviolencesituations.Prosecutorsandjudgeshavebroadauthoritytoenforceapplicablestateandfederallaw,confiscatetheoffender’sfirearmsandprohibitfuturepossession.TheLAPteamcananalyzethemostcommonlethalityfactorstodeterminetrendsoccurringinthecounty.Focusingonprevailinglethalityfactorswillmakecourts,prosecutorsandlawenforcementmoreawareoftheseissuessotheycanfindwaystoaddressthem.

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www.pcadv.org

1-888-235-3425

Contact us for technical assistance,

resources or training.

This project was supported by subgrant No. 22104 awarded by PCCD, the state administering office for the STOP Formula Grant Program. The opinions, findings, conclusions, and recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of PCCD or the U.S. Department of Justice, Office on Violence Against Women.

Pettingillv.Pettingill,SupremeCourtofKentuckyTheSupremeCourtofKentuckyrecentlyruledthatcourtscoulduselethalityfactorsintheircaseconsiderationsasajudge’sknowledgeoflethalityfactorsconstitutedbackgroundknowledge.Pettinghillv.Pettinghill,Nos.13-D-501731&13-D-501731-001(SupremeCourtofKentucky,October29,2015).

SaraPettingillfiledadomesticviolencepetitionagainstherhusband,Jeffrey,allegingthathisviolent,controllingandunstablebehaviormadeherfearforherownsafetyandthatofherminordaughter.Shewasparticularlyafraidbecausetheyhadrecentlyseparatedandshewasseekingadivorce.

Afterahearing,thecourtenteredadomesticviolenceorderagainstJeffreyandnotedinitsfindingoffactthatdefendant:1.Abusedthefamilypet2.Cyber-stalkedSara3.Threatenedthelifeofhisex-wifeinSara’spresence4.Showedpossessive-jealousbehaviorbymonitoringSara’scellphone5.DamagedSara’sproperty6.EngagedinrulemakingbehaviorsincludingnotallowingSaratodriveherowncar7.Hadapriorfelonyconviction8.Recentlypurchasedafirearm9.RecentlyseparatedfromSara.

Defendantappealedthecourt’sdecisionstating,amongotherissues,thatthefamilycourterredwhenittookjudicialnoticeof(andbaseditsdecisionon)domesticviolencelethalityfactorsratherthanthestandardsetforthinthecontrollingKentuckystatutes.TheSupremeCourtofKentucky,inupholdingthefamilycourt’sdecision,heldthatlethalityfactorsforintimatepartnerviolencearenotfactsbutriskfactorsusedbycourts,lawenforcement,counselors,andsocialscientiststoevaluatethethreatofdomesticviolencebetweenpartners.Furthermore,theCourtstated,“Thefamily’scourtreorganizationoffactselicitedduringthehearingwasnotdoneaccordingtojudicialnoticeandthatalladjudicativefactswereproventhroughtestimony.Thelistoflethalityfactors–presumablycontainedinthecourt’smind–wasjudicialknowledgeratherthanjudicialnotice.”Id.at7-8.