Ending Abuse—Improving Lives - Florida Department of Children ...

cies. One such example is the implementation of lethalityassessment by local law enforcement respondingto domestic violence incidents. In these cases, thepresence of a death threat is viewed as a risk factorand police respond accordingly; and• Procedures were implemented whereby related agenciesare immediately notified of all domestic violencerelatedfatality incidents.Major findings of the teams included:• Faith based counseling, although many times beneficial,was questioned in one case where the clergy hadadvised the victim to re-contact the perpetrator afteran extended separation;• Cross disciplinary training is needed between domesticviolence professionals, clergy and healthcare workers;• Education awareness on lethality indicators includingmental health and substance abuse is needed;• Certain patterns/trends were seen during reviews(e.g., an age difference of six years or more, substanceabuse was present in all cases reviewed, a prior criminalhistory for the perpetrator was found in all casesreviewed, and in 80 percent of the cases reviewed,prior domestic violence arrests had occurred);• The majority of those perpetrators with prior criminaland domestic violence histories did not serve the nowmandatory 85 percent of their sentences;• There is a need for improved coordinated communityresponse to domestic violence in the judicial circuitand sharing of information between agencies;• Mental health issues and prior domestic violencehistory known to family members were found in themajority of cases reviewed; and• Public awareness is needed to target immigrants toeducate them on domestic violence.Recommendations made by fatality review teams include:• Laws relating to judges ordering batterer interventionprograms need to be more consistent;• Batterers should not be given an option, but ratherautomatically qualify for a certified batterer interventionprogram when the crime is of a domesticviolence nature;• Near-fatalities and a loss of life as a result of a possibledomestic violence situation should be reviewed tobroaden the scope of cases reviewed and submittedto the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE)for the annual report;• The teams recommend that the state issue writtenguidance regarding interviews of parties, friends, andrelatives for the purposes of fatality review;• If the perpetrator is attending a batterer interventionprogram he/she should not be allowed to drinkalcohol;• It would be beneficial for the Medical Examiner’s Officeto be staffed with a social worker that can providecrisis intervention and referrals to survivors;• Mechanisms should be established statewide toidentify children who are raised in high risk environments;• Perform stand-by service in an effort to provide protectionfor potential victims while removing themselves,their children and/or pets and possessionsfrom the home when domestic violence is feared oranticipated; and• Victim safety would benefit from domestic violenceproviders, law enforcement, and judicial access toa centralized database containing civil and criminalcase information.Comments and concerns expressed by the teams include:• Teams feel that their in-depth review of the fatalities,including speaking to family members, puts a humanface to the case and not just statistics;• The continual supportive outreach network in manyof the teams’ communities encourages residents toask for assistance when they suspect cases of domesticviolence; and• In addition to policy changes, the work of the teamshas produced results that while not necessarily quantifiable,are equally important.A copy of the Florida Domestic Violence Fatality ReviewAnnual Report may be accessed on the FDLE website at:http://www.fdle.state.fl.us/publications/Domestic_Violence_Fatality_Report_2006.pdf38 Domestic Violence Annual Report 2005-2006