Domestic violence homicides continue to occur at alarming numbers. The 2016 Semi- Annual Uniform Crime Report (UCR)1 statistics released by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) in November 2016, reflected a 3.5% increase in domestic violence murders in the initial six months of 2016. Conversely, homicides caused by manslaughter decreased by 63% during the same time period. While the overall domestic violence statistics reflected a 4.6% decrease, the increase in murders in the first half of 2016 is of great cause for concern. Since the publishing and subsequent release of 2016 Faces of Fatality report, there were a total of 292 domestic violence related homicides in Florida.2 In 2009, the Florida Attorney General’s Statewide Domestic Violence Fatality Review Team was formed after the rise in domestic violence homicides in our State. During the past eight years, the team has reviewed 328 domestic violence fatalities and introduced interventions and recommendations that strengthen systemic responses to domestic violence while increasing public awareness of domestic violence. These recommendations consider the immediate and ongoing safety needs of survivors and their children while striving to hold perpetrators accountable for their violence utilizing a coordinated community response approach. The team convenes four times each year to conduct a comprehensive review of domestic violence homicides that occurred in Florida, with the goal of enhancing Florida systems that contribute to the prevention of such fatalities. Attorney General Pam Bondi and the Florida Coalition Against Domestic Violence (FCADV) co-chair the statewide team. Members of the team represent state and local entities that interact with survivors, their children, and perpetrators including representatives from the court system, law enforcement, probation, parole, faith-based organizations, educators, certified domestic violence centers, legal providers, healthcare providers and the defense bar. 4 FACES OF FATALITY / JUNE 2017 www.fcadv.org Currently, there are also 25 local teams that review domestic violence homicides and near homicides in rural and urban communities throughout Florida. Florida’s approach of one statewide team in addition to local teams is a model utilized in only nine other states. The teams follow a solution oriented “no blame, no shame” philosophy that focuses on communities working together to prevent domestic violence homicides. All teams comply with statutory mandates to maintain the confidentiality and public records exemptions when reviewing fatality related information.3 In 2014, the United States Department of Justice, Office on Violence Against Women awarded a three-year grant to the Florida Department of Children and Families (DCF) that enabled FCADV to provide comprehensive training and technical assistance to local fatality review teams and allied partners. The training content focused on identifying the risk indicators that often precede a domestic violence homicide, improving team sustainability and strengthening community collaborations to prevent domestic violence. The purpose of these trainings are to enhance the fatality review process and provide support to the local teams. To date, over 700 advocates, law enforcement officers, clerks of court, judges, emergency responders and others involved in Florida’s domestic violence response were trained through this grant. The 2017 Faces of Fatality VII report includes two new distinct components. This year’s annual report is comprised of the statewide team’s review of a 2016 murder/suicide and data analysis of domestic violence homicide reviews completed by local fatality review teams from March 2016 through December 2016. In an attempt to coordinate the Faces of Fatality annual report with information available from FDLE’s Annual UCR, and to complete data analysis within the calendar year in the future, the time frame for data collection was reduced to nine months this year. Therefore, the annual report released in June 2018 will include cases reviewed between EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
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