A Trauma-Informed, Public Health & Justice Framework
Executive Summary
Domestic homicide is predictable, preventable, and systemic.
Research consistently demonstrates that domestic homicide is not a sudden act of violence, but the final stage of an escalating pattern of coercive control, psychological abuse, fear-based domination, and trauma entrapment.
This strategy proposes a multi-layered prevention model combining:
- Early detection
- Neuroscience-based risk profiling
- Legal reform
- Survivor-centred protection
- Coordinated agency response
- Long-term monitoring
Domestic homicide must be treated as a public health emergency and a human rights crisis, not merely a criminal justice issue.
1. Core Principles
- Prevention over reaction
- Survivor safety as primary objective
- Trauma-informed justice
- Multi-agency integration
- Evidence-based risk prediction
- Continuous monitoring & accountability
2. Understanding Domestic Homicide: The Risk Trajectory
Domestic homicide follows a predictable escalation pattern:
Emotional control → psychological abuse → isolation → financial restriction → coercive rituals → paranoia → threats → physical violence → homicide risk
High-Risk Indicators:
- Coercive control
- Strangulation history
- Separation or attempted separation
- Obsessive surveillance
- Paranoid ideation
- Control rituals
- Financial captivity
- Weapon fixation
- Threats of suicide or homicide
3. Neuroscience-Based Risk Profiling
Traditional risk tools underestimate danger because they fail to incorporate neuropsychological instability.
Mandatory Risk Markers:
- Emotional dysregulation
- Hypervigilance
- Paranoid ideation
- Obsessive-compulsive control rituals
- Narcissistic injury reactivity
- Threat hypersensitivity
- Aggression escalation patterns
Goal:
Identify lethality risk profiles before violence escalates.
4. Early Identification & Screening
Universal Screening Implementation:
- Healthcare systems
- Mental health services
- Emergency departments
- Primary care
- Social services
- Family courts
- Schools (child exposure indicators)
Screening Targets:
- Coercive control
- Psychological abuse
- Trauma bonding
- Financial abuse
- Fear-based entrapment
5. Post-Separation Lethality Protocol
Separation = highest homicide risk phase
Mandatory Interventions:
- Automatic high-risk classification
- Immediate multi-agency safety plan
- Extended restraining orders
- Electronic monitoring (GPS)
- Police surveillance windows
- Emergency relocation funding
- Trauma advocate assignment
6. Survivor-Centred Safety Infrastructure
National Safety Framework:
- Emergency housing access
- Financial survival funds
- Identity protection systems
- Confidential address systems
- Secure digital safety protocols
- Trauma-informed legal advocacy
7. Law Enforcement Reform
Mandatory Training:
- Trauma neuroscience
- Coercive control dynamics
- Psychological abuse recognition
- Risk escalation profiling
Structural Changes:
- Specialist domestic homicide prevention units
- Dedicated risk-monitoring officers
- Inter-agency data sharing
8. Judicial Reform
Mandatory Court Protocols:
- Trauma-informed court procedures
- Coercive control evidence admissibility
- Cumulative harm sentencing
- Psychological injury impact statements
- Long-term protection orders
9. Perpetrator Intervention Strategy
High-Risk Offender Pathway:
- Mandatory psychological evaluation
- Neuropsychological risk profiling
- Long-term behavioural intervention
- Empathy restoration programs
- Emotional regulation therapy
- Control-pattern deconstruction
Note:
Rehabilitation supplements accountability — it never replaces legal consequences.
10. Multi-Agency Threat Management Units
Integrated Domestic Homicide Prevention Teams:
- Police
- Mental health
- Social services
- Legal advocates
- Domestic violence specialists
Function:
Real-time risk tracking + immediate escalation response.
11. Children & Intergenerational Prevention
Protective Protocols:
- Automatic child trauma screening
- Protective court orders
- Long-term therapeutic intervention
- Parental safety prioritisation
Preventing domestic homicide prevents generational trauma transmission.
12. National Domestic Homicide Intelligence System
Centralised Registry:
- Known perpetrators
- Escalation history
- Prior restraining orders
- Psychological risk indicators
Purpose:
Early warning + predictive modelling.
13. Public Health Integration
Domestic homicide prevention must be embedded in:
- Public health policy
- Mental health strategy
- Trauma recovery systems
- Poverty prevention
- Housing security
This reduces risk at structural levels.
14. Monitoring, Accountability & Outcomes
National Metrics:
- Domestic homicide rate
- Escalation intervention success
- Survivor safety outcomes
- Reoffending reduction
- Judicial response effectiveness
15. Conclusion
Domestic homicide is not inevitable.
It is the final stage of:
Unchecked coercive control + system failure + legal minimisation
A trauma-informed, neuroscience-based prevention strategy can save lives.
Final Statement
“Every domestic homicide is a system failure before it is a criminal act.”
Prevention is not optional — it is a human rights obligation.
Linda C J Turner | Trauma Therapist & Emotional Healing Specialist 