Nashville’s decade of domestic violence reforms focused on victims. Now the city wants increased offender accountability.

In 2013, a Nashville report identified ways the justice system could improve for domestic violence victims. A new assessment looks back at a decade of wins and highlights opportunities to improve.

Nashville has managed to close several gaps in the justice system over the years — creating the Office of Family Safety, family justice centers to connect victims to resources, and the Jean Crowe Advocacy Center inside the court house to help victims navigate the system. The city’s police officers are now required to assess the risk of a domestic violence case becoming deadly using a Lethality Assessment Protocol. And more criminal justice system workers are receiving training about how to handle domestic violence cases.

According to Diane Lance, the director of the Office of Family Safety, the