Lethality Assessments Predict Serious Violence for DV Victims

Domestic violence is a serious problem in this country, directly impacting over 30 percent of women and 25 percent of men who have at one time or another suffered violence at the hands of an intimate partner. The domino-effects of domestic violence (DV) mean that the impacts on children and families, as well as society, are long-lasting and serious. For the direct victims of the violence, things can escalate to become exceedingly dangerous, and even deadly. Predicting this kind of intensification can sometimes be predicted with the use of a lethality assessment.

What is a Lethality Assessment? 

Evaluations that are predictive of severe injury or death have been found to be effective in identifying DV victims who are at greatest risk of suffering serious injuries or being murdered by an intimate partner. The risk factors associated with escalating violence are pretty clear, and while they cannot predict with 100 percent certainty, they definitely are worth being aware of:

• Violence that has become more severe or more frequent over the past 12 months;
• The abuser owns a gun;
• You have left the abuser sometime in the past year;
• The abuser is unemployed;
• You’ve been threatened before with a deadly weapon by the abuser;
• The weapon with which you’ve been threatened was a firearm;
• The abuser has recently threatened to murder you;
• The abuser has managed to avoid being arrested for DV;
• You have a child that is not your abuser’s;
• You have been forced to have sexual relations against your will;
• You are sometimes strangled or choked by the abuser;
• You’ve had your breathing cut off to the point of causing dizziness or losing consciousness;
• Your abuser uses hard drugs that are illegal;
• Drinking excessively is a problem for the abuser;
• The abuser tries to control who you see, where you go, how you spend money, and so forth;
• It’s easier to allow your abuser to control you than to fight it;
• Jealousy is a serious problem in the relationship;
• You’ve suffered physical beatings during pregnancy;
• You believe your abuser is capable of murdering you;
• Your children have been a subject of your abuser’s threats;
• You have been followed or spied on by your abuser;
• You get a ridiculous number of phone calls, threatening messages, and threats from your abuser;
• One or both of you has threatened to commit suicide, or actually attempted suicide at some point.

Your Legal Advocate 

No one deserves to be controlled, threatened, or harmed by an intimate partner. If domestic violence is a real issue that causes emotional, financial, and/or physical harm, help is available. At the Law Office of Julia Kefalinos, our dedicated Miami domestic violence attorneys can provide the legal help, as well as connections to a variety of services, that can help you live the life you deserve. To discuss, contact our Miami office for a confidential consultation today.

Source:

abcactionnews.com/news/crime/taking-action-against-domestic-violence