Iowa Code 135.110 – Iowa domestic abuse death review team powers and duties
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1. The review team shall perform the following duties:
a. Prepare a biennial report for the governor, supreme court, attorney general, and the general assembly concerning the following subjects:
(1) The causes and manner of domestic abuse deaths, including an analysis of factual information obtained through review of domestic abuse death certificates and domestic abuse death data, including patient records and other pertinent confidential and public information concerning domestic abuse deaths.
(2) The contributing factors of domestic abuse deaths.
(3) Recommendations regarding the prevention of future domestic abuse deaths, including actions to be taken by communities, based on an analysis of these contributing factors.
b. Advise and consult the agencies represented on the team and other state agencies regarding program and regulatory changes that may prevent domestic abuse deaths.
c. Develop protocols for domestic abuse death investigations and team review.
Terms Used In Iowa Code 135.110
- Decedent: A deceased person.
- Domestic abuse death: means a homicide or suicide that involves or is a result of an assault as defined in section 708. See Iowa Code 135.108
- following: when used by way of reference to a chapter or other part of a statute mean the next preceding or next following chapter or other part. See Iowa Code 4.1
- State: means a state, territory, or possession of the United States, the District of Columbia, or the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. See Iowa Code 152E.3
- Team: means the domestic abuse death review team established in section 135. See Iowa Code 135.108
2. In performing duties pursuant to subsection 1, the review team shall review the relationship between the decedent victim and the alleged or convicted perpetrator from the point where the abuse allegedly began, until the domestic abuse death occurred, and shall review all relevant documents pertaining to the relationship between the parties, including but not limited to protective orders and dissolution, custody, and support agreements and related court records, in order to ascertain whether a correlation exists between certain events in the relationship and any escalation of abuse, and whether patterns can be established regarding such events in relation to domestic abuse deaths in general. The review team shall consider such conclusions in making recommendations pursuant to subsection 1.
3. The team shall meet upon the call of the chairperson, upon the request of a state agency, or as determined by a majority of the team.
4. The team shall annually elect a chairperson and other officers as deemed necessary by the team.
5. The team may establish committees or panels to whom the team may assign some or all of the team’s responsibilities.
6. Members of the team who are currently practicing attorneys or current employees of the judicial branch of state government shall not participate in the following:
a. An investigation by the team that involves a case in which the team member is presently involved in the member’s professional capacity.
b. Development of protocols by the team for domestic abuse death investigations and team review.
c. Development of regulatory changes related to domestic abuse deaths.