Developing a Coordinated Response for Domestic Violence Crimes
Franklin County domestic violence homicides are up by over 150% and local law enforcement, prosecutors, probation teams, judges and victim advocates are teaming up to do something about it. In 2020, Franklin County received a grant from the U.S. Department of Justice Office for Violence Against Women to bring the evidence-based Blueprint for Safety domestic violence response model to our community.
What Is Blueprint for Safety?
Blueprint for Safety guides how the justice system responds to domestic violence crimes, from 911 calls to patrol responses to jail bookings, prosecution and community supervision. The model was developed in 2010 in Saint Paul, Minnesota, and has been successfully implemented in cities across the U.S. By creating a coordinated response among justice and community-based agencies that handle domestic violence cases, the team:
- Reviews existing domestic violence response procedures
- Compares those procedures against best practice
- Updates existing procedures as needed
- Connects all justice response procedures through a single, written domestic violence response policy
How Blueprint for Safety Improves Domestic Violence Response
Blueprint for Safety begins by assessing risk and danger to help document the scope, severity and pattern of abuse, which then is communicated among agencies. This type of unified response is proven to:
- Maximize the system’s ability to control domestic violence offenders
- Use that control to intervene quickly when there are new acts of violence, intimidation or coercion
- Link victims with community-based support resources
- Shift the burden of holding offenders accountable for violence or abuse from victims to the system
Implementing Blueprint for Safety in Franklin County, Ohio
County, city and local social service agencies are working together to develop a unified Blueprint for Safety response that breaks cycles of violence and reduces domestic violence homicides, by:
- Increasing justice agencies’ use of evidence-based practices and programs to improve the identification of and coordinated responses to high-risk domestic violence incidents
- Increasing proactive collaboration and data sharing among Franklin County criminal justice agencies to better manage high-risk domestic violence offenders
- Developing relationships that promote seamless referrals and linkages of victims to community-based support
Associated agencies include:
- Franklin County Office of Justice Programs, Sheriff’s Office, County Jail and Prosecutor’s Office
- Columbus City Attorney’s Office, Columbus Division of Police, City of Columbus Support Services-911, Franklin County Muncipal Court Pretrial and Probation Services
- The Center for Family Safety and Healing, LSS CHOICES for Domestic Violence and Catholic Social Services' Our Lady of Guadalupe Center
Get Involved With Blueprint for Safety
The Franklin County Blueprint for Safety team is reviewing existing domestic violence response procedures and going into the field to see how procedures translate to action. We'll use what we learn, together, to draft our local Blueprint for Safety domestic violence response policy and implementation plan. If you want more information about this work, please contact: