Over the past 20 years, Illinois has addressed the crisis of domestic violence by enacting model legislation, implementing policies and protocols, creating safeguards for victims, holding abusers accountable, and organizing and coordinating efforts to combat what has been characterized as an epidemic. Originally published in 1996, the Illinois Model Domestic Violence Protocol for Law Enforcement, Prosecution, and the Judiciary aimed at serving as a best-practices resource communities could use in drafting their own domestic violence protocols, based on their local needs, systems and resources. In 2005 the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority (ICJIA) convened a group of law enforcement professionals, prosecutors, judges, and service providers across the state to begin the protocol update process. Changes in society and in case law, and advances in areas relating to domestic violence prevention, indicated the need for a thorough review of the protocol's provisions.