UC School of Social Work Assistant Professor Gary Dick, in partnership with Ann MacDonald, Executive Director of Rape Crisis & Abuse Center and Chair of the Hamilton County Domestic Violence Coordinating Council's Death Review Panel, analyzed the final reports from the panel that were collected from 1997 to 2003. The research found that 91 percent of those who died were female. Sixteen percent of the victims had a protection order in place at the time of their deaths. Children were present in the household in 36 percent of the cases.
Dick says similar studies have been conducted in Chicago and Houston. Early findings from the Cincinnati study were presented at the 10th International Conference on Family Violence in San Diego. Dick says the findings from this study and other U.S. studies have implications for safety planning.
"Our goal is to share this information with those professionals who work with victims and batterers," Dick says. "In addition, this information will be shared with the public in order protect the health and safety of women."
MacDonald, says, "We are excited to be working collaboratively with UC's School of Social Work. This project is designed to help us prevent future deaths because of domestic violence. This is information every woman in the community needs to know."
"The combined efforts and expertise of UC's School of Social Work and the members of the Death Review Panel will help us address the problem of domestic violence," says Jim Beiting, director of the YWCA of Greater Cincinnati Batterers Intervention Program (AMEND) and Death Review Panel member.
The major findings of this study identified the following risk factors (predicators of death). They are:
- Separated – 83 percent
- Substance abuse – 68 percent
- Escalating abuse – 56 percent
- Stalking behaviors – 50 percent
- Criminal history – 46 percent
- Threats to kill – 43 percent
- Prior domestic violence-related charge – 36 percent
- Child abuse – 33 percent
- Threats of suicide – 33 percent
- Perpetrator mental illness – 31 percent
- Perpetrator brought a weapon – 29 percent
- Strangulation – 29 percent
- Threats with weapons – 25 percent
- Property damage – 23 percent
- Violated a protection order – 23 percent
- Previous serious injury – 23 percent
- Sexual assault – 21 percent
- Animal abuse – Eight percent
Dick adds that this collaborative effort will result in helping families recognize the seriousness of domestic violence. In addition, practical applications also include professional training and development of a statewide training assessing risk of death from domestic violence for the Ohio Department of Human Services. "The results of this study have important implications for the safety of victims in our community," Dick says.