In my last post, I indicated that some of the risk factors commonly used by attorneys to assess the likelihood of future incidents of serious domestic violence were not actually predictive of lethality. This caused a few friends and colleagues to ask, “What does the research show?” and “What are the key factors?” Again, drawing largely on my training from the Danger Assessment and the wonderful research done by Professor Jacquelyn C. Campbell at The Johns Hopkins University, here’s what we know.
Femicide (the killing of a woman) is the seventh leading cause of premature death for women in the United States. For young African American women (those ages 15-34), the numbers are even worse. It is the leading cause of premature death. Approximately 40% – 50% of women who are murdered in the United States are killed by an intimate partner or a former intimate partner.
For every woman who is killed by an intimate partner, eight women are almost killed. They are victims of an attempted homicide. And somewhere between 44% – 47% of the women who are killed in domestic violence related incidents were seen in the health care system sometime in the year before their death.
Recognizing the seriousness of the problem is part of the solution. But, in order to keep women safe, people need to know the warning signs. While predicting the likelihood of serious domestic violence can be difficult – it depends on the actions of the abuser and the response of the victim – the presence of the following factors has been associated with an increased risk of harm:
1. Gun Ownership: The data on gun ownership is striking. Seventy-four percent of those who have killed an intimate partner owned a gun before the killing. Perpetrators of domestic violence also have much higher rates of gun ownership than the general population – they are twice as likely to own a gun as a non-abusive man in the same cities and under the same conditions.
2. Leaving the Relationship During the Past Year: This is an important trigger. In many cases, women are killed near or around the time they leave the relationship. Research also suggests that beginning a new relationship may trigger violence by serving as a confirmation that the prior relationship is really over.
3. The Presence of Step-children: For reasons I don’t completely understand, the presence of a step-child living in the home also increases the risk of a serious violent incident.
4. Unemployment
5. Avoiding Arrests for Domestic Violence
6. Stalking
7. Prior History of Physical Abuse with Increasing Severity
8. Partner Controls the Victim’s Daily Activities
9. Threats of Death
If you (or a family member) are contemplating divorce and have experienced domestic violence in your relationship, please contact one of the attorneys in our office for a free consultation.
by Robert W. Gadtke
Tags: attorneys who work with domestic abuse victims, domestic abuse, Domestic Violence, finding a divorce attorney, finding a divorce lawyer, finding a good divorce attorney in Minneapolis, finding a good divorce lawyer in Minneapolis, minneapolis domestic abuse, minneapolis domestic abuse attorney, minneapolis domestic abuse lawyer
