For Immediate Release
January 30, 2006
Please Contact: Michael Bloom, 617-722-1650

Barrios Announces New Tool
in Fight to Prevent Domestic Violence

Boston, MA – Senator Jarrett T. Barrios recently joined the domestic violence prevention group Emerge, Suffolk County Sheriff Andrea Cabral, and Danvers Police Lt. Jon Tiplady, to release a new tool in the fight against domestic violence. The “Domestic Violence Danger Assessment and Safety Planning” DVD will help train local law enforcement and victim advocacy groups in assessing the dangerousness of an abusive situation.

“Feedback about the DVD from police, prosecutors and victim advocates has been entirely enthusiastic,” said Emerge Project Director David Adams. “Viewers appreciate the DVD shows domestic violence first responders how assess danger when responding to domestic violence cases. They also like that the DVD not only shows what questions to ask but how to ask them in a manner that is sensitive to victims who may be still experiencing trauma. Another feature of the DVD that audiences have liked is that it shows how to conduct danger assessments with perpetrators.”

The DVD was premiered on January 19 in Boston when Sheriff Cabral, who narrates the DVD, and Lt. Jon Tiplady received Domestic Violence Leadership Awards. At the event, Barrios spoke about his statewide initiative to strengthen domestic violence laws by giving police and prosecutors more ability to go after abusers and provide more support for victims of domestic violence.

“No woman or man should have to live in a prison of fear because of a dangerous abuser,” said Senator Barrios. “My goal is to strengthen our state’s laws to go after abusers and protect victims in order to prevent additional violent – and potentially tragic – attacks.”

Scenes on the DVD include...

• Police officer danger assessment interview of a victim in her home

• Victim advocate doing safety planning with this same victim

• Police officer doing danger assessment interview with a victim at her workplace

• Prosecutor and victim/witness advocate doing danger assessment with this same victim

• Police officer doing danger assessment interview with a perpetrator

Each scene is accompanied by narration and graphics that highlight key elements of effective danger assessment interviews and safety planning. This includes how to establish a working rapport with victims, how to recognize victim trauma, what questions to ask, and how to elicit information from perpetrators. Narration also provides guidelines about the development of effective danger assessment protocols.

• The DVD can be ordered separately, at a cost of $15.00, by contacting Emerge at 617-547-9879 or e-mail at emergedv@aol.com.

• For more information on Emerge visit: http://www.emergedv.com/

Founded in 1977, Emerge was the nation’s first batterer intervention program and serves as a national training and resource center on batterer interventions and domestic violence danger assessment.