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Handbook of Interpersonal Violence and Abuse Across the Lifespan pp 1–23Cite as

Domestic Violence Fatality Review: The State of the Art

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Abstract

Domestic violence fatality review involves the identification and analysis of homicides, suicides, other deaths, and sometimes near deaths caused by, related to, or somehow traceable to domestic violence. Teams develop preventive interventions. They formed in the last quarter century in functioning democracies including the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, and Portugal with the public concern and state and community infrastructure to confront these cases. Communities ideally create an expert review team from an eclectic array of individual experts that handle domestic violence cases. In the interests of ensuring the representation of agencies, organizations, and community stakeholders, review philosophies call for accountability but do not seek to blame and shame individuals within agencies and community organizations for the loss of life. Rather, teams explore the flow of cases through complex systems, identify gaps in service, and suggest solutions. Reviews vary considerably across countries. Most reviewers build timelines; explore potential warning signs; examine the involvement of agencies, organizations, community stakeholders, family, friends, co-workers, and neighbors; and assess the degree of communication, coordination, and collaboration among these entities. Fatality review therefore comprises a potent example of a coordinated community response to domestic violence. The law governing fatality review varies across countries and jurisdictions. Generally, fatality review law prescribes what information teams may examine and how they must protect that information. Review outcomes include a heightening of coordinated community responses and the development of many specific potentially preventive interventions. Significantly, reviews raise new questions about case handling.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Family Violence Center, School of Social Work, Watts College of Public Service and Community Solutions Arizona State University, Phoenix, AZ, USA

    Neil Websdale

Authors
  1. Neil Websdale
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Correspondence to Neil Websdale .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Institute on Violence, Abuse and Trauma, Alliant International University, San Diego, CA, USA

    Robert Geffner

  2. School of Health and Human Sciences, University of North Carolina at Greensbo, Greensboro, NC, USA

    Jacquelyn W. White

  3. Dept of Family and Community Medicine, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, USA

    L. Kevin Hamberger

  4. Department of Psychology, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL, USA

    Alan Rosenbaum

  5. Ethelyn R. Strong School of Social Work, Norfolk State University, Norfolk, VA, USA

    Viola Vaughan-Eden

  6. Education and Research, Zero Abuse Project, St. Paul, MN, USA

    Victor I. Vieth

Section Editor information

  1. Consultant, Alexandria, VA, USA

    Glenna Tinney

  2. College of Arts and Sciences - Society, Culture, and Language, University of South Florida - St. Petersburg, St. Petersburg, Florida, USA

    Shelly M. Wagers

  3. University of North Carolina- Charlotte, Charlotte, NC, USA

    Jennifer Langhinrichsen-Rohling

  4. Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, USA

    L. Kevin Hamberger

  5. Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL, USA

    Alan Rosenbaum

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Websdale, N. (2020). Domestic Violence Fatality Review: The State of the Art. In: Geffner, R., White, J.W., Hamberger, L.K., Rosenbaum, A., Vaughan-Eden, V., Vieth, V.I. (eds) Handbook of Interpersonal Violence and Abuse Across the Lifespan. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-62122-7_133-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-62122-7_133-2

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-62122-7

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-62122-7

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Chapter history

  1. Latest

    Domestic Violence Fatality Review: The State of the Art
    Published:
    08 September 2020

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-62122-7_133-2

  2. Original

    Domestic Violence Fatality Review: The State of the Art
    Published:
    11 January 2020

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-62122-7_133-1

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