“Every year 3-4 million women in the U.S. are abused and 1,500-1,600 are killed by their abusers. The challenge for those who encounter abused women is to identify those with the highest level of danger.” – Danger Assessment, Johns Hopkins School of Nursing (2021)
One of the most valuable experiences a victim has when they meet with a Resource Advocate for the first time is an overall assessment of their current situation. During their intake, a victim will share details around their abuse, including the nature of the incidents as well as more information about the abusive partner. This information gives both the advocate and the victim a comprehensive picture of how dangerous their situation is and how lethal it could become. This information is then used to help craft a personal safety plan that aims to mitigate risks and increase safety. Survivors leave their intake with a better understanding of their situation along with a strategy that takes into account their unique needs.
In order to glean this comprehensive information, our Resource Advocates utilize a tool developed through evidence-based research, considered to be the best in the field for assessing risk and lethality — Dr. Jacquelyn Campbell’s Danger Assessment. Developed in 1986, the Danger Assessment has been used by victim advocates, law enforcement, medical providers, and social workers to help victims assess the current and future dangerousness of their given situation.
By giving victims the opportunity to reflect on the abuse, take a clear look at their situation, and understand what the research says could happen given what they have shared, the danger assessment facilitates early intervention. We know from research that many victims of domestic violence who die by homicide were never connected with an advocate. By making the tool widely available, administering the assessment can truly be lifesaving.
The assessment consists of two parts: a calendar and a 20 question instrument. In completing the calendar, the victim is asked to note when the incidents happened and to describe the nature of the incidents. This visually helps the victim to see how the abuse has changed, and in some cases, how the abuse has escalated over time. Next, the advocate administers the questionnaire, which asks questions both specific to the abuse and more information about the perpetrator. Some sample questions include whether or not the abuse has escalated over time; if the perpetrator owns a gun; if the perpetrator has threatened to commit suicide; and whether or not they have child(ren) in common.
Each question is given a weighted score, which once tallied, gives an assessment of how potentially lethal the victim’s situation might be. Often survivors themselves do not have an accurate picture of what they have been experiencing until then sit with an advocate and undergo the assessment. Delivering this information is another way that advocates work to restore a victim’s sense of control over their own lives.
All of the Center’s Resource Advocates are trained and certified to administer the Danger Assessment. A record of their assessment is kept on file, and can be updated as their circumstance changes over time. While the information shared on the assessment can be difficult to share, the conversation opens the door for clients to be connected with the various resources the Center has to support them. It is not uncommon that a survivor will share incidents about physical abuse that may lead to being connected with our onsite Denver Health Clinic for post assault care and forensic documentation. A conversation around children, may lead to a legal referral to discuss custody options. A disclosure around access to firearms may lead to a victim connecting with law enforcement and our onsite firearms relinquishment specialist. Together with a safety plan and connections to the Center’s partner agencies, the danger assessment puts survivors back into the driver seat so that they can have every tool at their disposal when they are ready to flee.