Each year, more than three million women in the U.S. are abused by their intimate partners – and more than 1,200 are killed by their abusers. These victims of homicide or attempted homicide are often unaware that their lives are in danger prior to the attack. The Danger Assessment instrument, developed by Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing Associate Dean Dr. Jacquelyn Campbell, is available online to help women at risk learn their level of danger and to train domestic violence advocates, law enforcement, and health care professionals in measuring and warning danger levels.
Twenty-five years ago, Campbell created the first Danger Assessment (DA) tool to help victims of abuse and the professionals who work with them to better understand the threats to their safety and well-being. In 2005, Campbell revised and updated the assessment to incorporate the findings of recent domestic violence research and to deliver the mechanism to a wider audience through the website, www.dangerassessment.org.
Women who feel they are in danger may visit the website and download the DA for free. The results are best interpreted, however, by a person certified to use the DA scoring system. Criminal justice, health care and advocacy practitioners who wish to administer the assessment and interpret the scoring system also may use the website to obtain training and certification.
This tool is available online: www.dangerassessment.org as a PDF. Please visit this website to obtain the tool.