NEW!!! Winter/Spring 2008 Maryland Fatality Review Newsletter

June 2007 Maryland Fatality Review Newsletter

First annual (2005) report of the Calvert County Domestic Violence Fatality Review Team

First annual (2004) report of the Anne Arundel County Domestic Violence Fatality Review Team

Purpose
The primary purpose of domestic violence fatality review is to review deaths and near-fatalities in which intimate partner domestic violence has played a role, in a manner that makes real the victim's lived experience, with the ultimate intent of preventing such deaths and near-fatalities. The review process is aimed at creating a climate in which institutions and individuals will commit themselves to an enhanced response to domestic violence as a social problem and a crime, informed by the experiences of victims and survivors.

Domestic Violence Fatality Review in Maryland
Domestic Violence Fatality Review Teams (DVFRTs) have been established in many states to evaluate and better understand deaths related to intimate partner violence. By identifying and remedying gaps in services, understanding the circumstances leading up to and resulting from domestic violence-related homicides or suicides, and improving communication between agencies, these teams hope to prevent future deaths.

The Maryland Network Against Domestic Violence worked with Calvert County and Anne Arundel County to establish teams which could serve as models for other jurisdictions in Maryland wishing to conduct domestic violence fatality reviews.

Since 2005, Maryland law (Title 4, Subtitle 7 of the Family Law Article) has enabled counties (and Baltimore city) to establish domestic violence fatality review teams, and has provided teams with confidentiality protections which enable them to function effectively.

Organizing a Fatality Review Team
• Who makes up a domestic violence fatality review team? A team is made up of representatives from various agencies in a county, including domestic violence agencies, the state's attorney's office, law enforcement, hospitals, the health department, parole and probation, the district court, as well as other knowledgeable individuals, including a survivor of domestic violence.
• How does the team identify deaths to review? Teams may review any fatality, whether a homicide or suicide, in which a domestic violence victim, perpetrator, or third parties are killed, or any near-fatality, that has intimate partner domestic violence as an involved factor. Teams identify cases through information from law enforcement agencies, the state's attorney's office, or other available resources.
• What happens to information shared with the team? The legislation enables members of local teams to share confidential information with their teams without liability or fear that it will end up in court or in the newspaper. All members of a team must keep confidential the information shared with the team about particular cases, unless the information is already public, or team members are legally or ethically required to report it (such as child abuse.)
• Who can attend the meetings? Because of the confidential nature of the information being discussed, only team members and individuals invited to present information about a particular case, who have signed confidentiality agreements, may participate. Meetings in which no cases are discussed may be open to the public.
• How does the team publicize its findings and make changes happen? Representatives will take recommendations concerning their agencies back to their agency heads. The team will publish annual reports which will not discuss confidential case information, but will list the recommendations the team has agreed upon, concerning agency responsiveness, agency policy and procedures, services, intervention strategies, legislation and regulations, community education and training. The report will also include the status of prior recommendations.

For more information please see the website of the National Domestic Violence Fatality Review Initiative, www.ndvfri.org.