What Can Be Done to Prevent Domestic Violence? Jenn Oxborrow, LCSW Utah Department of Human Services, DCFS Domestic Violence Program Administrator
Current rates and trends in Utah Stand out concerns: 1 in 3 Utah women will experience IPV in her lifetime; nearly 1 in 5 will experience IPV THIS YEAR. CDC Since 2000, DV-related homicides accounted for at least 42% of all adult homicides in Utah VIPP Each month, at least 1 woman is murdered by her intimate partner in the Utah; 3 DV- related suicides per month. VIPP
How does DV impact our children in Utah? Approximately 80 of Utah’s children witness their mother murdered, almost killed, or are first to find her every year in Utah. Less than 60% of those children received any counseling & many only one time National Death Reporting System 2003-09 study (Logan et al ’08; Smith, Fowler, Niolon ‘14).
Who are we trying to serve? Female victims of domestic violence in Utah experience TWICE the rate of: Mental illness (29.8% vs. 13.7%) Substance abuse (9.8% vs. 4.3%) Poor physical health outcomes than women in Utah who have not experienced intimate partner violence (VIPP)
“Why does she stay/go back?” 63% of homeless women are victims of domestic violence Among homeless families, 40% are homeless because of domestic violence In Utah, DV shelters report approximately 3000 unmet requests for help each year due to limited capacity 70% of IPV homicide victims were killed within the first 72 hours following departure from an abusive partner National Alliance to End Homelessness
Coordinating our Response In Utah to Prevent DV Lethality SAFETY--Standardized Danger Assessment STABILITY--Rapid Re-housing Programs
SAFETY: Campbell Danger Assessment Standardized set of evidence-based questions; screens for most lethal aspects of Intimate Partner Violence Assesses for the level of lethality risk Indicates the necessary safety planning and supportive services Ensures most at risk victims get priority at shelters Raises awareness in survivor and first responders Maryland, New York, WOODS CROSS: reduced number of DV homicides, risk to LE, and other crime
STABILITY: Rapid Re-housing Housing Prevents DV and Many Other Risks SHARE Project Outcomes (Safe Housing Assistance with Rent Evaluation, Volunteers of America); Quasi‐experimental longitudinal study funded by CDC SAFETY IMPROVED: Number of women reporting extreme danger dropped from 237 to 24. IMPROVED HEALTH: decreased alcohol/drug use, improved health and mental health; 25% fewer met criterion for clinical depression; 22% fewer had symptoms of PTSD STABILITY IMPROVED: Nearly 80% fewer moves. Number of days in emergency housing dropped by 78%. Missed fewer days of work. Greater job stability, improved income. CHILDREN RECOVERED: school attendance improved, more likely to be maintaining their school performance, exhibited fewer behavior problems
Can the CDA and RRH prevent DV deaths in Utah?
Percentage of domestic violence-related and non-domestic violence-related adult homicides, Utah, 2000-2013 (DOH VIPP)
References The United States Bureau of Justice Intimate Partner Violence: Attributes of Victimization, 1993–2011 http://www.bjs.gov/ Utah Department of Health Violence and Injury Prevention Program http://health.utah.gov/vipp/topics/domestic-violence/ U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, SAMHSA, OAS. 2009 Utah Commission on Criminal and Juvenile Justice. No More Secrets – Utah’s Domestic and Sexual Violence Report, 2012. Available at: http://nomoresecrets.utah.gov/Annual%20Reports/nms_annualreport_2012.pdf National Alliance to End Homelessness, 1.13 Providing Rapid Re-Housing for Survivors of Domestic Violence 2014 (http://www.endhomelessness.org/library/entry/1.13- providing-rapid-re-housing-for-survivors-of-domestic-violence) Black MC et al. The National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey (NISVS): 2010 Summary Report. Atlanta, GA: National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2011. Available at: http://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/pdf/nisvs_report2010-a.pdf Catalano S. Special Report--Intimate partner violence, 1993-2010. U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Statistics, NCJ 239203; 2012.