SUMMARY Recommendations for systemic change are considered one of the most important aspects of domestic violence fatality review and serve as a blueprint for enhancements to survivor safety and perpetrator accountability. Thoughtfully crafted recommendations based on the data analysis from team reviews can help shape policy changes and interventions in the coordinated response to domestic violence. The work of the Statewide Domestic Violence Fatality Review Team, since 2009, demonstrates the powerful effect such recommendations can have in enhancing statewide and local community domestic violence services and response. Fatality review recommendations focus on a wide range of short and long term goals, including training to meet the specific needs of community partners such as screening for domestic violence in medical communities, safety planning considerations for domestic violence advocates, law enforcement trainings related to the use of risk assessments, evidence collection and victim interviewing, training for prosecutors on enforcing and enhancing offender accountability, and training on effective batterers’ intervention programs for judges and courts. In addition to training, statewide team recommendations have included proposed changes to Florida Statutes, implementation of statewide policies regarding domestic violence services, and public campaigns that raise awareness about domestic violence in an effort to increase the responses of bystanders witnessing or having knowledge of the occurrence of domestic violence in their families and communities. Statewide Domestic Violence Fatality Review Team Recommendations Have Resulted In Some of the Following Specific Accomplishments: • Senator David Simmons and Representative Holly Raschein introduced and successfully passed SB 342 during the 2015 Florida Legislative Session that amended s. 903.047, Florida Statutes, Conditions of Pretrial Release. Governor Scott signed the bill into law on May 14, 2015. The amended statute provides that an order of no contact is effective immediately, and authorizes the court to prohibit the following acts: communicating orally or in written form, either 32 FACES OF FATALITY / JUNE 2017 www.fcadv.org in person, telephonically, electronically, or in any other manner, either directly or indirectly through a third person, with the victim or any other person named in the order, unless the order specifically allows indirect contact through a third party; having physical or violent contact with the victim or other named person’s residence, even if the defendant and the victim or other named person share the residence; and being within 500 feet of the victim’s or other named person’s vehicle, place of employment, or a specified place frequented by such person. Importantly, this change in legislation permits law enforcement and prosecutors to increase charges on perpetrators of domestic violence who make contact with victims through jail house calls after the order of no contact was issued. Perpetrators often use intimidation and threats to coerce victims into dropping charges while they are in jail. • FCADV funded certified domestic violence center, Aid to Victims of Domestic Abuse, Inc. and the Legal Aid Society of Palm Beach County to implement a collaborative anti-stalking project in 2013. The project allowed community stakeholders to increase resources, services, and advocacy available to survivors of stalking. The collaborative partners enhanced survivor safety through cooperative efforts to develop materials, training, and capacity building in Palm Beach County. This project serves as a model for other communities. • FCADV applied for and received a three-year grant, awarded to the Department of Children and Families by the United States Department of Justice, Office on Violence Against Women to provide training on high risk indicators, risk assessment protocols, conducting safety checks and making appropriate charging decisions to more than 700 participants from law enforcement, emergency response and victim advocates prior to ending in June 2017. The need to expand training to these community partners was identified in the 2014 Faces of Fatality Report recommendations. In addition to the trainings, FCADV’s Fatality Review Coordinator provides ongoing technical assistance to local fatality review teams on risk indicators and the use of risk assessments by certified domestic violence centers and other allied partners.
20236AA
To see the actual publication please follow the link above