Dangerousness Assessment

The following list is not fool-proof. Once you have thought about all of the indicators listed, you may conclude that your batterer is not life-threatening. You may be right or you may be wrong. You probably are the best evaluator, but you may want to discuss this with a trusted friend or a battered women's advocate at the local domestic violence program. Your batterer may not be life-threatening now, but may become so. Therefore, it is important to continue ongoing assessment of his dangerousness. Contact your local battered women's program to make a safety plan.

In making your assessment, use all of the information you have about the batterer, as well as your own intuition. The greater the number of primary indicators that the batterer demonstrates or the greater the intensity of indicators, the greater the likelihood of a life-threatening attack. It is better to make a mistake in over-estimating the dangerousness of a batterer than underestimating it. No matter what is written here, if you conclude that the batterer is becoming more dangerous and may very well try to kill you, act on your assessment.

1. Batterer's "ownership" of the battered partner. The batterer who says "Death before divorce!" or "You belong to me and will never belong to another!" may be stating his fundamental belief that you have absolutely no right to life separate from him. ("Till death do us part.")

2. Threats of homicide or suicide. The batterer who has threatened to kill you, himself, the children or your relatives must be considered extremely dangerous.

3. Fantasies of homicide or suicide. The more the batterer has developed a fantasy about who, how, when and/or where to kill, the more dangerous he may be. The batterer who has previously acted out part of a homicide or suicide fantasy may be invested in killing as a "solution" to his problems.

4. Obsessiveness about partner or family. A batterer who is obsessive about his female partner, who either idolizes you and feels that he cannot live without you or believes he is entitled to you, your services, loyalty and obedience, no matter what, is likely to be life-endangering.

5. Centrality of battered woman. If losing you represents or precipitates a total loss of hope for a positive future, your batterer may choose to kill.

6. Depression. Where a batterer has been acutely depressed and sees little hope for moving beyond the depression, he may be a candidate for homicide and suicide. Research shows that many people who are hospitalized for depression have killing fantasies.

7. Weapons. Where a batterer possesses weapons and has used them or has threatened to use them in the past in his assaults on you, the children or himself, his access to those weapons increases his potential for lethal assault. If a batterer has a history of arson or the threat of arson, fire should be considered a weapon.

8. Timing. When a desperate batterer believes that he is about to lose you or when he concludes that you are permanently leaving him, if he cannot envision life without you, this may be when he chooses to kill. That is not to say that all batterers kill when they conclude that the battered woman is separating from them. Some kill long before they have any inkling that the battered woman may be thinking about leaving. So, it is not safe to assume that because you haven't made plans to leave, that the batterer will not be dangerous.