The Danger Assessment helps to determine the level of danger an abused woman has of being killed by her intimate partner. It is free and available to the public. Using the Danger Assessment requires the weighted scoring and interpretation that is provided after completing the training. The Danger Assessment is available in a variety of languages.
Every year 3-4 million women in the U.S. are abused and 1,500-1,600 are killed by their abusers. The challenge for those who encounter abused women is to identify those with the highest level of danger. For 25 years, the Danger Assessment Instrument has been used by law enforcement, healthcare professionals, and domestic violence advocates. The training — offered in several forms on this website — provides instructions on how to score and interpret the instrument.
Learn more about the Danger Assessment Instrument >
Are you a woman currently experiencing domestic violence?
National Domestic Violence Hotline
1-800-799-7233
Resources for Domestic Violence
Did you fill out the Danger Assessment for your own situation? You should know that 10 or more “yes” answers is concerning. Please get in touch with your local domestic violence shelter or call the national domestic violence hotline for more help in staying safe.
What are the benefits of certification?
After successfully completing the post test, you will be certified in using the Danger Assessment. You will be able to download a certificate with your name on it, a scoring page that you can use to put in case files for documentation, and the scoring system worksheet, which includes the scoring system's danger levels personalized with your name on it. This documentation has been proven to be valuable for use in court proceedings.
Please note that the certificate signature line is for the "Certified Assessor" to sign, i.e., once you have been certified, you now become the certified assessor that should sign the certificate. This is important in that an image of the certificate appears on the scoring system worksheet that should be printed and maintained on file each time you assess a woman's level of danger. The signaure line validates that the assessment was completed by the person named and that the person named has been trained in use of the DA and the DA scoring system.
The rate of intimate partner victimizations for females was 4.3 victimizations per 1,000 females age 12 or older in 2007.
Bureau of Justice Statistics
Females made up 70% of victims killed by an intimate partner in 2007, a proportion that has changed very little since 1993.
Bureau of Justice Statistics
In 2007 intimate partners committed 14% of all homicides in the U.S. The total estimated number of intimate partner homicide victims in 2007 was 2,340 .
Bureau of Justice Statistics
Females are killed by intimate partners at twice the rate of males.
Bureau of Justice Statistics