Home      Login

Abstract: 

Can a public registry help prevent domestic violence homicide? Tennessee’s groundbreaking “Savanna’s Law” tests that question by creating the nation’s first database of repeat domestic violence offenders. This article explores how the registry is designed to identify high-risk perpetrators, enhance victim awareness, and support law enforcement intervention—while also confronting its limits, including underreporting and gaps in conviction-based systems. Anchored in the tragic murder of Savanna Puckett, the law reflects a growing push toward proactive risk identification in domestic violence prevention. For practitioners and policymakers, this is a critical look at an emerging—and controversial—tool aimed at stopping repeat abuse before it escalates to lethal violence.

Keywords: Domestic Violence Registry; Repeat Offenders; Risk Identification; Public Safety; Lethality Prevention; State Legislation

Affiliations:  1: Editor.