Domestic Violence Fatality Review Team Aims To Improve Intervention, Prevention In DuPage County

DUPAGE COUNTY, IL — A new Domestic Violence Fatality Review Team has been created in the 18th Judicial Circuit to help find ways to improve protection and prevention in domestic violence incidents.

"With October being Domestic Violence Awareness Month, we are all reminded that domestic violence affects us all and is not confined to a behind-closed-doors cycle of violence, leaving victims to suffer in silence," DuPage County State's Attorney Robert Berlin said in a statement.

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DuPage County's Domestic Violence Fatality Review Team will be made up of professionals from the DuPage County State's Attorney's Office, Coroner's Office, Probation Office and Public Defender's Office, along with Wheaton, West Chicago and Willowbrook police officers.

Additionally, the team will include volunteers from DuPage Family Center, Family Shelter Service of Metropolitan Family Services DuPage, the Legal Aid Society of Metropolitan Family Services, Document the Abuse, the Center for Advancing Domestic Peace and DuPage Family Center.

The team will analyze domestic violence cases involving deaths or near deaths to review intervention, risk factors, police response and other factors to determine what can be improved to help prevent future cases. The research may help inform future policies and prevention strategies that can be implemented statewide.

"I offer heartfelt thanks to all our volunteers who are generously donating their time and talents to help break this cycle of abuse," Berlin said.

He added, "I especially want to thank Tessa Kuipers, Project Director of the statewide Domestic Violence Fatality Review initiative for her work in guiding this project forward. It is our shared goal that this important work will prevent future domestic violence fatalities and near‑fatalities, reduce the severity and frequency of domestic abuse, and improve coordinated community and professional services responses."