Citation

Richards TN, Gillespie LK, Kafonek K, Johnson M. Violence Against Women 2019; ePub(ePub): ePub.

Affiliation

University of Baltimore, MD, USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2019, SAGE Publishing)

DOI

10.1177/1077801219880965

PMID

31662048

Abstract

The Lethality Assessment Program (LAP) aims to empower law enforcement officers to screen victims of domestic violence for potential lethality and connect them to service providers. This research surveyed domestic violence victims seeking legal services (n = 141) to assess whether LAP receipt is associated with greater rates of self-protective measures, service use, or empowerment, and to examine victims' perspectives on the LAP process.

FINDINGS indicate no relationship between receipt of the LAP and use of self-protective measures or victim empowerment, mixed evidence between receipt of the LAP and service utilization, and room for improvement regarding how law enforcement officers explain the LAP to victims. Implications are discussed.

Language: en

Keywords

domestic violence; lethality; risk assessment; victim empowerment