1. Beyond Rope Ladders & Padlocks:
A New Approach to Safety Planning
Sherry Hamby & Sarah Clark
Sewanee, the University of the South
Presented at the Ending Domestic & Sexual Violence: Innovations in Practice
& Research Conference, Portsmouth, NH, November, 2011
sherry.hamby@sewanee.edu

2. Common Instruments & Tools
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This review focuses on published instruments
and tools.
You will see their content is rather narrow.
Although many advocates do address these
risks, they do so largely without guidance from
published documents or the nation’s premier
resources on domestic violence.

3. Existing Dangerousness Assessments:
Ask Only About Physical Harm
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The most frequent topics covered by popular
dangerousness/lethality assessment tools are
(Laing, 2004; Websdale, 2000) :
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prior victimization;
batterer’s drug & alcohol problems;
batterer’s obsessiveness & jealousy;
batterer’s threats to kill the victim or her children;
batterer access to & familiarity with weapons;
batterer’s violence outside the home;
stalking;
batterer’s suicidal ideation & behavior;
partners are separated, or victim is fleeing.
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4. A Typical Safety Plan—
Nat’l Coalition Against Domestic Violence
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If you are still in the relationship:
Think of a safe place to go if an argument occurs - avoid
rooms with no exits (bathroom), or rooms with weapons
(kitchen).
Think about and make a list of safe people to contact.
Keep change with you at all times.
Memorize all important numbers.
Establish a "code word" or "sign" so that family, friends,
teachers or co-workers know when to call for help.
Think about what you will say to your partner if heshe
becomes violent.
Remember, you have the right to live without fear and
violence.
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5. …Focuses on leaving & physical safety
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If you have left the relationship:
Change your phone number.
Screen calls.
Save and document all contacts, messages, injuries or
other incidents involving the batterer.
Change locks, if the batterer has a key.
Avoid staying alone.
Plan how to get away if confronted by an abusive
partner.
If you have to meet your partner, do it in a public
place.
Vary your routine.
Notify school and work contacts.
Call a shelter for battered women.
If you leave the relationship or are thinking of
leaving, you should take important papers and
documents with you to enable you to apply for
benefits or take legal action.
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6. The State of Safety Planning
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Bottom line: Many safety plans
devote more space to rope ladders and
padlocks than to providing guidance
on dealing with the financial, legal,
and social risks faced by virtually all
battered women.
In addition to leaving advocates to
figure out how to do this on their own,
one at a time, over and over again,
what other consequences does this
narrow focus have?
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7. What Gets Left Out of
Existing Services?

8. Physical Risks Posed to Others
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Concern for others can constrain coping:
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Children
Family members
Friends—especially those who offer shelter
Pets
Others, such as coworkers, advocates, etc.
Ex: Across 6 studies, 48% of women in
shelters reported their pets had been
harmed, 45% said they had been
threatened, and 26% said the welfare of
their pets delayed their decision to leave
(Hamby, in preparation).
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9. Financial Risks
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Financial dependence is often the most
commonly mentioned reason for staying
(e.g., Cruz, 2003).
Many areas of potential loss:
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Lower standard of living
Loss of savings
Cannot afford neighborhoods with low crime or good schools
Would have to drop out of own schooling
Job loss
Loss of health insurance
Loss of car/transportation
Doesn’t have security deposit, rent, furniture for even a terrible
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apartment in a terrible neighborhood.

10. Legal Risks
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Dual arrests are on the rise
(Hirschel & Buzawa, 2002)
Arrest of batterer unlikely to lead
to jail time—will be back home
& madder than ever
If disclose abuse to
authorities, may be reported to
CPS for “exposing” children to
dv
D-I-V-O-R-C-E risks
Risks losing custody of children
Risks unfair divorce settlement
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11. Social Risks
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Stigma—Almost all of the social
statuses associated with leaving a
violent relationship are stigmatized:
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“victim”
“divorced”
“single mother”
Loss of friendships, extended
family, support of
minister/congregants
Children’s loss of
friends, schools, sports
May stigmatize entire family in
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12. Who Gets Left Out of Existing
Services?
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13. Not all victims need shelters
Denise Richards
Brooke Mueller
Rihanna
Taylor Armstrong
Madonna
Phil Hartman
Tina Turner
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14. Not all victims are economically
disadvantaged or lacking housing
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Celebrities obviously do not
represent the norm, but they will
have to stand in for all the
unknown lawyers, accountants,
physicians, psychologists, social
workers, nurses, teachers,
computer technicians, journalists,
artists, physical therapists,
veterinarians, and all of the other
women who don’t fit the stereotype
of “battered woman.”
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15. The VIGOR: Multiple
Criteria Decision Making
for IPV

16. Types of Problems Addressed with
MCDM
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Selecting routes for nuclear waste transport
(Chen, Wang, & Lin, 2008).
Promoting recycling (Gomes et al., 2008)
Understanding stock trading (Albadvi et al., 2007)
Deciding best locations for emergency vehicles (Araz et
al., 2007)
Understanding “medical tourism”—when people will
decide to have surgery abroad (Bies & Zacharia, 2007)
…and dozens of other applications in environmental
sciences, engineering, agriculture, and finance
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(Hajkowicz, 2008)

17. What Do These Problems Have
in Common with Battering?
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Multiple facets to the problem
“Success” can be evaluated on multiple criteria
Not all criteria easily evaluated with dollars or
some other uniform metric—involve value
judgements (originally developed as an
alternative to cost-benefit analysis).
Multiple options to choose from, and these
options vary in how well they meet different
criteria.
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18. Using MCDM Principles to Create the
VIGOR: Victim Inventory of Goals,
Options, & Risks
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6 other experienced advocates reviewed the
VIGOR and provided extensive feedback, paid
$100 honorarium.
Pilot study with over 100 individuals who have
been victims of battering
Students in an undergraduate research seminar
helped further streamline and simplify the
wording.
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19. Pilot Study: Risks, Strengths, Options
as Perceived by Victims of Battering
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102 people (98% female) with histories of intimate partner
victimization were recruited from 2 domestic violence programs (1
shelter, 1 support group) in 2 Southern states.
Wide age range: 28% 18-25, 25% 26-30, 27% 31-40, 20% 41+
Ethnically and racially diverse: African-American
(54%), White/Caucasian (26%), Hispanic (11%), Native American
(9%), and other (1%).
58% reported income < $12,000 per year.
Most had children (91%), mean 2.14 children per participant.
They provided their perceptions of their risks and resources in a semistructured format. Responses were coded using a boot-strapping
method and analyzed. Participants were given a $25 gift card to thank
them for their participation. DV agencies were paid $25 per interview
to compensate them for staff time.
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20. Step 1: Identify Risks
60
53.4
50
47.6
46.6
44.7
40
27.2
30
20
27.2
Lose
custody
Family
rejection
16.5
10
0
Fear of Fear partner Financially Concern for Lack Social
physical will murder insecure children*
Support
harm to self
them
*Concern for children includes concern for their physical, emotional, and social well-being
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21. Step 2: Identify Strengths
60
54.4
48.5
50
45.6
41.7
41.7
40.8
39.8
Have
friends
Shelter
Personal
Strength
Have a job
40
30
20
10
0
Family
support
Church
Religious
Community
faith
*Personal strength refers to a sense of being capable and having the ability to persevere.
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22. Step 3: Identify Options
60
50
40
30
20
49
47.1
37.3
35.3
31.4
31.4
30.4
29.4
25.5
23.5
19.6
18.6
10
0
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23. Novel Options
Reported by single or few respondents
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Increase internet security
(myspace, facebook, email)
Get a dog
Apply for a gun permit
Sleep with a knife under
pillow
Find new friends/confidants
Exercise
Change locks (5%)

24. Step 4: Make Choices Based on
Risk Priorities & Options
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In MCDM, an option has “strict dominance” if it is
better than others on some criteria, and at least as
good on all others.
The result: NOT a generic checklist of safety
precautions, BUT a personalized plan that links
coping responses to specific risks.
Fleeing on an emergency basis with few
belongings and possibly not even with your
children, will not minimize many risks faced by
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typical battered women.

25. Conclusion
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Can improve our response to the most disadvantaged
women as help them address multiple needs.
Victims who are seen as poor copers or in “denial” may
be prioritizing other risks.
Holistic advocacy, using MCDM, has the potential to
considerably broaden the population that seeks help from
domestic violence advocates, as many perceive advocacy
is primarily about free shelter.
Next steps: Further testing of revised version (Beta
11.0!) with traditional dv agency clients and also hope to
evaluate with less disadvantaged women.
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