SHIELD for Victims Act of 2026

The Congress finds as follows:

(1) As already recognized by the National Institute of Justice (NIJ), intimate partner violence is a pervasive issue in the United States. And researchers at the NIJ found that the Lethality Assessment Program reduced the severity and frequency of violence survivors experienced.

(2) The Lethality Assessment Program is a lethality screen for intimate partner violence victims recognized by the U.S. Department of Justice as a promising practice in intimate partner homicide prevention.

(3) The U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs has an existing relationship with the Lethality Program Maryland Model and encourages DOJ to keeping this model in mind when developing its trainings.

(4) Utah, Florida, Maryland, Kentucky, South Dakota, and Montana have existing language in state law regarding the lethality assessment program. Additionally, local communities, including the Metro Nashville Police Department, have successfully implemented their own Lethality Assessment Program.

(5) It is important to include a primary aggressor training in the LAP training curriculum.