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> > Family and Intimate Partner Violence Homicide Surveillance and Fatality Review

Family and Intimate Partner Violence Homicide Surveillance and Fatality Review

In the interest of reducing the incidence of domestic violence-related fatalities in Virginia, the General Assembly adopted legislation in 1999 authorizing surveillance and fatality review activities in the State. Virginia Code 32.1-283.3 directs the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner (OCME) to conduct surveillance of fatal family violence, enables localities to convene fatality review teams, and directs the OCME to develop a model protocol and provide technical assistance to local teams. Fatal family violence is defined as any fatality, whether homicide or suicide, occurring as a result of abuse between family members or intimate partners.

Surveillance – The OCME collects information on fatal family violence in Virginia and publishes an annual report, Family and Intimate Partner Violence Homicide. The report provides an overview of homicide in the State, with an emphasis on family and intimate partner related deaths. Annual reports are available beginning with 1999 data.

Fatality Review – Fatality review is an intentional, interdisciplinary, nonjudgmental evaluation of events leading up to a fatality. The process provides a means to analyze system response to violence. The purpose of family and intimate partner fatality review is to identify prevention strategies to reduce the incidence of deaths associated with family and intimate partner violence. In Virginia, Teams are usually formed at the local and regional levels through individual efforts and the voluntary cooperation of agencies involved with such deaths.

Protocol and Technical Assistance – The OCME provides training and technical assistance to communities interested in forming family and intimate partner fatality review teams as well as established teams. A model protocol was developed as a best practice guide for creating teams and reviewing cases. The protocol was developed with the guidance of a multidisciplinary advisory group whose members represented law enforcement, the judiciary, health care, social services and domestic violence services.

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