Stop Running in LAPs: Evaluating the Lethality Assessment Program\u27s Effectiveness in Reducing Repeat Intimate Partner Violence

Repeat victimization is a phenomenon which is generally understood as the pattern and prevalence of victimization. This is an important factor for local authorities in their attempt to develop innovative policies and practices to facilitate predicting and preventing crimes. Thus, many police departments around the country, including the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD) have adopted the Lethality Assessment Program (LAP). This is a risk assessment tool used by responding officers on domestic violence calls that intends to prevent future risk of lethal violence to victims of domestic violence by assessing their risk of lethality and providing immediate referrals to social service providers. Furthermore, the overarching purpose of this research was to assess the nature and extent of repeat intimate partner violence in Las Vegas, Nevada, and to determine how LVMPD’s implementation of the LAP may impact repeat victimization. The sample consisted of 954 victims of intimate partner violence from January 2015. Results largely confirmed past research on repeat victimization: a small number of victims (9%) accounted for a large number of repeat victimizations (32%). Findings also indicated that when victims endured more than one previous intimate partner violence victimization, there was an increased risk of victimization for other crimes, as well as an increased risk to become a criminal offender. Additionally, findings revealed that past victims of intimate partner violence were less likely to receive a LAP Screen. However, when victims did receive a LAP Screen, the chances of enduring a future intimate partner violence victimization decreased. Implications and additional findings are discussed