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New York State Domestic Violence Fatality Review

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New York State Domestic Violence Fatality Review

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Overview

When a domestic violence fatality occurs, both victim and offender may have come into contact with different systems prior to the death. The NYS Domestic Violence Fatality Review Team, established by NYS Executive Law §575 (10), conducts a confidential analysis of deaths or near-deaths that result from domestic violence. The goal is to learn from these cases and identify ways to improve the overall response to domestic violence. The Team contains a combination of representatives from state and local agencies and systems and conducts an in-depth case analysis, including reviewing records, preparing a timeline of events, and interviewing individuals involved in the case.

To help communities learn from the Fatality Review Team, NYSOPDV provides technical assistance to community groups. Assistance includes helping communities analyze the Team’s findings as it relates to their local domestic violence response and providing training and technical assistance on specific issues. For more information on case referral or to discuss your local technical assistance needs, please email: [email protected].

Case Referral

The NYS Domestic Violence Fatality Review Team invites community stakeholders, family members, and other interested individuals to refer cases for possible review. To be considered, cases must be: 

  • Deaths or near-deaths caused by a family or household member as defined in section 812 of the Family Court Act or section 530.11 of the Criminal Procedure Law. This includes people who: 
    • Are related by blood or marriage 
    • Are or were previously married 
    • Have a child in common 
    • Are or were previously in an intimate relationship, whether or not the relationship was sexual  
    • Note: The Team will not review deaths of children for those cases in which the NYS Office of Children and Family Services is required to issue a fatality report in accordance with subdivision 5 of section 20 of the Social Services Law. 
  • Closed (either adjudicated through the court system or not under investigation, i.e., murder/suicide);  
  • Recent. There is not a specified time frame, but cases that are relatively recent are best suited for review. 

Please note:  

  • Referring a case does not guarantee that it will be reviewed by the Team. 
  • The Team schedules its reviews well in advance. Please be aware that if the case you refer is chosen for review, it may be scheduled for a year or more from when it is chosen. 
  • The work of the Team is confidential and as such, reviews are closed to the public. The law prohibits the Team from releasing case-specific findings or recommendations after any of its reviews. Findings and recommendations made will be aggregate in nature and will not identify specific cases.   

Refer a Case

NYS Domestic Violence Fatality Review Reports

The NYS Domestic Violence Fatality Review Team issues periodic reports to the Governor and Legislature that outline the Team’s findings as well as recommendations to enhance the system’s response to domestic violence in New York State.

View the reports below:

Statute

Note on sharing meeting details, notes, and agendas from the statute:

All records received, meetings conducted, reports and records made and maintained, and all books and papers obtained by the team shall be confidential and shall not be open or made available, except by court order or as set forth in paragraphs (k) and (l) of this subdivision.

Fatality Review Team

Lethality Summit

As a result of our learning from our Fatality Review, OPDV partnered with the NYS Division of Criminal Justice Services for our first ever Lethality Summit, "Learning the Signs: Assessing the Risk of Lethality in Domestic Violence Cases" in October of 2024. Learn more about the summit by watching this video: