A Paducah-based domestic crisis center is expanding a program to Marshall County that connects women in high-lethality domestic situations to advocates.
Merryman House Executive Director Mary Foley said the Lethality Assessment Program is based on research from Jacquelyn Campbell in partnership with Johns Hopkins University.
Foley said the program will work in partnership with the Marshall County Sheriff’s Office. She said first responders will ask victims 11 questions on-site of a domestic violence call. Certain responses will prompt the officer to connect the victim to Merryman House staff.
“I think there’s something very powerful about a person in a position of authority like law enforcement having that conversation and validating the experience of a victim,” Foley said.
Foley said the officer will tell the victim that the screener indicates high risk for death or serious physical injury. She said Marshall and Calloway Counties have the highest service demands and hopes to expand to Calloway next. Merryman House introduced the program in Paducah roughly six years ago.
