The National Domestic Violence Fatality Review Initiative at NAU is one of four national recipients of the prestigious 2014 Celebrating Solutions Award sponsored by the Mary Byron Project. The initiative is housed in the Family Violence Institute at Northern Arizona University and directed by Neil Websdale, longtime professor of criminology and criminal justice.
The Mary Byron Project recognizes innovative programs that are working to eradicate domestic violence and serve as models for the nation. This is the 12th year for the annual recognition, which showcases innovations that demonstrate promise in breaking the cycle of domestic violence.
“This is the culmination of the work of a large network of people spanning 20 years who have sought to grasp the complexities of domestic violence related deaths with a view to informing and crafting more tailored, humane, and understanding interventions,” Websdale said.
The mission of the National Domestic Violence Fatality Review Initiative is to provide technical assistance for the reviewing of domestic violence related deaths, with the underlying objective of preventing them in the future, preserving the safety of battered women, and holding accountable both the perpetrators of domestic violence and the multiple agencies and organization that come into contact with the parties.