Farmers Weekly Review

State’s Attorney James Glasgow announces that Will County is one of five regions in Illinois to establish a Domestic Violence Fatality Review Team to reduce and prevent domestic violence fatalities and near fatalities through case analysis, review, and reform. In 2023, nine women were murdered by their intimate partners or family members in Will County.

The new Domestic Violence Fatality Review Team comprises multidisciplinary members of the community, including representatives from the State’s Attorney’s Office, the Public Defender’s Office, the Will County Courts, members of law enforcement, Guardian Angel Community Services and other nonprofit organizations, and others involved in addressing domestic violence.

The formal process of implementing domestic fatality reviews was established by the Illinois Domestic Violence Review Act, which took effect in 2021.

“In 1993 in response to the new Domestic Violence statute enacted in 1990, I created the Will County Domestic Violence Commission which met every month until the family violence coordinating council was established in 1999.

“I also spearheaded the federal grant establishing Will County’s specialized Domestic Violence Court, mandating abuser counseling to break the destructive cycle of violence, and secured an agency to provide this necessary counseling,” Glasgow said. “At that time, we were just beginning to understand the unique dynamics of domestic violence.

“These cases are extremely difficult to prosecute because the victims are living under constant emotional, financial, and physical threat and intimidation by their abusers. That’s why I also created Will County’s first comprehensive Domestic Violence Protocol for police officers who investigate these difficult crimes to use in their squad cars, explaining the new law and assuring our law enforcement community that I would follow through with charges when appropriate.

“The new Domestic Violence Fatality Review Team will play an integral role in furthering coordinated community prevention and intervention initiatives in Will County.”

Under the 2021 legislation, a statewide committee is charged with establishing regional domestic violence fatality review teams in judicial districts throughout Illinois. The goals are to reduce domestic violence and domestic violence-related fatalities; address potential disparate practices and attitudes in systems interacting with domestic violence victims, survivors, and offenders, reduce the cost on society of domestic violence, and improve community and systemic responses to domestic violence.

The newly formed Will County Domestic Violence Fatality Review Team has selected its first cases to analyze and is the first Review Team in the State of Illinois to have done so. Each Review Team throughout the State is required to submit a report to the statewide committee every two years. The regional reports will then be synthesized, and conclusions and recommendations will be provided in a report issued by the statewide committee the year following submission of the regional reports.

“The domestic violence fatality review process is invaluable for uncovering potential warnings signs, risk factors, and missed points of intervention that can help inform and shape policies to prevent future fatalities,” said Amirrah Abou-Youssef, Local Council Coordinator for the 12th Judicial Family Violence Coordinating Council.

“Most important, however, is to honor the lives of those we have lost by committing to do better as a community.

By retrospectively reviewing cases, we keep their memories alive and hope to prevent others from sharing the same fate through identifying commonalities to improve our systemic response to future cases. We have assembled a talented team of passionate professionals who are truly invested in making a difference in the lives of survivors of domestic violence in Will County.”

In addition to the team established in Will County (12th Judicial District,) Pioneer Domestic Violence Fatality Review teams have been created in Madison and Bond counties (3rd Judicial District), Rockford County (17th Judicial District), Lake County (19th Judicial District), and Kankakee County (21st Judicial District).

“The notorious murders of their wives committed by Drew Peterson and Christopher Vaughn were at their core domestic violence perpetrated against the victims by their intimate partners,” Glasgow said.

“A coordinated community response is critical if we are to fully address the emotional and physical brutality of domestic violence and learn best practices for doing everything in our power to prevent future deaths resulting from domestic violence.”

In addition to his role in establishing Will County’s Domestic Violence Court, Glasgow created a specialized Domestic Violence Prosecution Unit in his Office, assisted by an experienced and compassionate team of victim advocates. He also created a Victim Independence Program providing concentrated services and resources for domestic violence victims to enable them to cooperate with law enforcement throughout the prosecution of their abusers.

Following these initiatives, the number of women who pursued the prosecution of their abusers increased by an estimated 20 to 25 percent.
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