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Abstract: 

A landmark Stanford Criminal Justice Center study, Fatal Peril, exposes how survivors of intimate partner violence are funneled into prison—often for actions taken to survive ongoing abuse. Drawing on surveys of 649 women incarcerated in California for murder or manslaughter—the first prison use of validated tools like the Composite Abuse Scale and Danger Assessment—the report finds that nearly three-quarters experienced IPV in the year before the offense, with many at extreme risk of homicide. Vivid narratives trace pathways from coercive control and strangulation to substance use, “failure to protect,” and accomplice liability. The article translates these findings into concrete reforms: routine lethality screening, trauma-informed charging and sentencing, and broader recognition of IPV histories in court.

Keywords: Intimate Partner Violence; Criminalization of Survivors; Danger Assessment; Coercive Control; Trauma-Informed Justice

Affiliations:  1: Director of Family Violence Legislation, Los Angeles City Attorney's Office.