Lethality Assessments and the Law Enforcement Response to Domestic Violence

Abstract

More and more police departments are adopting lethality assessment programs (LAPs), requiring police officers responding to an incident of intimate partner violence to assess with victims their risk for death at the hands of their abusers. In this study, the author explores the initial enthusiasm for these programs and claims of dramatic drops in homicides. He questions whether, like previously hailed criminal justice responses to intimate partner violence, LAPs will be found to offer only incremental improvement at best. Further, he suggests that lethality is a poor measure by which to judge criminal justice intimate partner violence interventions. In fact, he argues, current research suggests that the vast majority of victims may be more likely to die as a result of suicide than homicide. And lethality scales may sadly encourage responding officers to ignore these potential victims, resulting in their further entrapment and despair, heightening their risk for suicides.

Lethality Assessment Protocol

“…The extensive literature on the subject of DV has created a context for social policy initiatives as they attempt to tackle this pervasive societal issue (Messing et al, 2016). Moreover, while it is obvious DV needs to be addressed at all levels of society, none may be more important than the role of the responding police officer (Klein, 2012). The early trends of the 1980s showed that the arrest of an abuser significantly reduced repeated incidents of abuse, compared to interventions using medication and counseling (Radatz & Wright, 2016).…”

“…Adoption of lethality assessment programs is on the rise in police departments (as of 2015, jurisdictions in 34 states are implementing the LAP), requiring police officers responding to an incident of IPV to work with the victims to determine their risk for death (Klein, 2012). The program implemented in the state of Connecticut is a result of a collaboration between the Connecticut Coalition Against Domestic Violence [CCADV] and the Connecticut Police Officer Standards and Training Council (POSTC).…”

“…Researchers found that only 4% of DV victims who were killed by their partners accessed services through DV agencies prior to their deaths. Research also shows that a little over half of women who survived serious murder attempts by their abusers did not realize the lethal jeopardy they were facing before such attempts occurred (Klein, 2012). Many victims of DV, especially those who have been severely abused, are acutely aware of the possibility of homicide but have difficulty assessing their degree of risk (Salari & Sillito, 2016; Sharps, Campbell, Campbell, Gary, & Webster, 2001; Stuart & Campbell, 1989).…”

“…Many states have experienced great success with LAP implementation. The success of LAP has been evidenced by decreased rates of intimate partner homicide, increased rates of victims seeking and participating in DV services, and stronger collaborative efforts between law enforcement and local DV agencies (Klein, 2012).…”

An Examination of the Lethality Assessment Program (LAP): Perspectives on Implementation, Help-Seeking, and Victim Empowerment

“…While some scholars promote external assessments such as the LAP as tools that assist service providers and victims alike in recognizing the seriousness of domestic violence (e.g., Campbell, 2005; Goodman, Dutton, & Bennett, 2000), others have taken a more critical approach considering appropriateness, victims’ own self-assessment, and the potential impact on victim empowerment and autonomy (Hoyle, 2008; Johnson, 2010; Klein, 2012; Websdale & Dedolph, 2000). Furthermore, the implementation of these tools has outpaced comprehensive empirical evaluation research.…”