Fatality Review:Communities & Social Change

May 17-19, 2015St. Petersburg, Florida

Identifying Batterers

A proactive corrections response to domestic violence in Kansas

Safety & Accountability Audit

• “An unidentified perpetrator of DV who is on parole poses a significantly increased risk to public safety.”

• “Ignoring the importance of DV in the corrections setting, whether inside or outside of the correctional facility, ignores critical factors included in criminogenic predictors of future behavior.”

Safety & Accountability Audit of KDOC, Kansas Coalition Against Sexual and Domestic Violence 2005

DV FRB Recommendation

• “The Kansas Department of Corrections should screen inmates for domestic violence at the Reception and Diagnostic Unit and upon release from a correctional facility…”

-State of Kansas, Governor Kathleen Sebelius, Domestic Violence Fatality Review Board 2007 Report, January 2008

DV Screening Tool• Have the police ever been called for something that

happened between you and a sexual partner, an ex-partner or someone you were living with, married to or dating?

• Have you ever been arrested for, charged with or convicted of anything…

• Are you currently serving time or have you ever served time for anything…

• Do you currently have, or have you ever had a protection order, restraining order or cease correspondence filed against you?

• Have you ever attended or participated in Anger Management, DV Counseling or BIP?

• Have you ever been sanctioned on parole or probation or been revoked due to an incident…

DV Screening Tool• Existing Kansas Components

• “Scoring”

• Delivery/implementation

DV Screening Tool Data

• Implemented July 1, 2014

• 1,601 offenders screenedo 44% self-disclosed history

of DVo 55% self-disclosed no history

of DVo 1% refused to complete the

screeningo 2% were incompleteo 4% received an override

44%55%

1%

Self-Disclosed DV History

Yes

No

Moving Forward • Expansion

• Batterer Intervention in-facility

• High Risk tracking

Thank you!Janet Good

Domestic Violence Response SpecialistKansas Department of Corrections

Office of Victim Services 785-506-4193

Janet.Good@doc.ks.gov