Domestic Violence in the
Workplace
Session 1
“Death Review Teams - Mining for
Prevention Knowledge”
Primary Purpose
• To mine death data for key information
that can lead to improving Prevention
Actions
Members of
Death Review Team
• Law Enforcement
• Family Violence Unit
• District Attorney’s
Office
• County Coroner
• Former Battered
Victim
• Domestic Violence
Victims Groups
• Juvenile Probation
• Pre-Trial Office
• Batterers Programs
(private & public)
• Diverse Community
representatives,
e.g., racial, age,
sexual preference,
etc.
What the Team Does
• Review homicides case by case to
understand the ‘arc’ of a story
• How did the victim and perpetrator meet?
• What was the trajectory of their relationship?
• How did all this culminate in homicide, suicide
or both?
• Was prevention possible? What actions might
have helped prevent?
Common
Characteristics
• Warning Signs for Divorced/Separated (43.8%) and Dating
Relationships (26.9% of total homicides since 1993)
– Perpetrator demonstrating warning signs which were ignored
(sleeplessness, loss of job, possessing guns, talking about dying,
extremely upset about his or her life, excessive drinking or
drug use, prior sexual assault, prior false imprisonment of victim)
– Perpetrator is extremely jealous, possessive and has sought
treatment for mental health issues
– People close to victim knew something was very wrong in the
relationship, but did not intervene
– Perpetrator could not handle victim talking about divorce or
separation
– Prior threats of homicide or suicide
– Perpetrator had previous history of using violence with victim or
previous partner
– Perpetrator engaged in stalking conduct
Common Characteristics
• Observable Behaviors by Co-workers
– Perpetrator demonstrating warning signs which were ignored
(sleeplessness, loss of job, possessing guns, talking about
dying, extremely upset about his or her life, excessive
drinking or drug use)
• Handguns most common weapon used (53.1% of
overall incidents since 1993)
2002 Team Recommendations
2002
Death
• All workplaces need to invest in education of
Review
their workforces on domestic violence
Report
• The Office of Mental Health needs to be closely
tied into the effort
• Need to develop hotline for men contemplating an act
of domestic violence or that need help in their
interpersonal relationships
• Develop strategies to encourage Domestic Violence
victims to get restraining orders
2002 Team Recommendations
2002
• Need Council on Immigration Issues
Death
• Education for Community-at-Large to stand
Review
up and report domestic violence when
Report
suspected or observed
• All local school districts develop a curriculum that
addresses the issues of domestic violence and dating
violence
Implications for Employers
• Domestic Violence education for all workers is important
– Need to include education about encouraging Domestic
Violence victims to get restraining orders and ‘how to’
• Better mental health support services, e.g., EAP, on-going
service, etc., for victims and batterers need to be
developed, communicated and utilized
– Need to develop hotline for men contemplating an act of
domestic violence or that need help in their interpersonal
relationships
• Employers need to support education for:
– School districts developing a curriculum that addresses the
issues of domestic violence and dating violence
– Community-at-large to standing up and reporting domestic
violence when suspected or observed
Santa Clara County Area
Supporting Organizations
• Santa Clara County Court Systems
Committee
• Santa Clara County Police Victim Relations
Committee
• Santa Clara County Victims Voice Committee
• The Domestic Violence Executive Committee
• San Jose Domestic Violence Taskforce
• Santa Clara County Domestic Council
Insights about Team
• Chaired by District Attorney’s Office
• Established 1994 at suggestion of US Justice
Department
• Chief Medical Examiner-Coroner is a key role
• Must have support of Law Enforcement
community; must trust that this is not a forum
to point fingers for mistakes or issues
• Meets monthly
• Annual Report with Recommendations
For More Information
Go to
www.Workplaceviolence91l.com
click on Articles, then click on
Domestic Violence and then select
Death Review Team