Risk Assessment for Domestically Violent Men: Tools for Criminal Justice, Offender Intervention, and Victim Services

From a domestic violence victim's first call to police or visit to a women's shelter, through the offender's bail, sentencing, parole, and treatment program, criminal justice officers and clinicians must make informed decisions about which cases need the most attention as well as ensure targeted provisions are in place to prevent recurrences of violence. Authors Hilton, Harris, and Rice make a powerful case for using actuarial risk assessments to predict recidivism in male domestic violence offenders.

These assessments, the Ontario Domestic Assault Risk Assessment (ODARA) and the Domestic Violence Risk Appraisal Guide (DVRAG), are the first in the field. The ODARA/DVRAG system helps criminal justice officials and clinicians decide which offenders pose the greatest risk to therefore preclude the most dangerous cases from falling through the cracks. Notably, the authors assert that systematically implementing these tools into public policy will reduce the number of violent assaults on women by their partners.

The book draws on the authors' in-depth empirical studies of violent men and their extensive experience with recidivism risk assessment in policing, court cases, offender assessment, and victim services. It is also a user's manual—replete with all the scoring, reporting, and interpreting details needed to effectively use the ODARA/DVRAG system.

The inclusion of case examples, FAQs, scoring tools and forms, and sample assessment reports makes this an excellent resource for any professional working directly with domestic violence offenders or training criminal justice officers to conduct these risk assessments.

Acknowledgments

Introduction

1. Risk Assessment for Criminal Justice, Offender Intervention, and Victim Services
2. Assessing the Risk of Future Violent Behavior
3. Creating a Frontline Risk Assessment
4. In-Depth Risk Assessment and Theoretical Explanation
5. Risk Communication
6. Implementing Actuarial Risk Assessment
7. Questions and Answers About the Ontario Domestic Assault Risk Assessment/Domestic Violence Risk Appraisal Guide (ODARA/DVRAG) System

Appendices

1. Scoring Criteria for the Ontario Domestic Assault Risk Assessment (ODARA)
2. Sample Risk Assessment Report Summary and Norms for the Ontario Domestic Assault Risk Assessment (ODARA)
3. Scoring Criteria for the Domestic Violence Risk Appraisal Guide (DVRAG)
4. Sample Risk Assessment Report Summary and Norms for the Domestic Violence Risk Appraisal Guide (DVRAG)
5. Practice Case Materials
6. Graphical Aids for the Statistical Interpretation of the Ontario Domestic Assault Risk Assessment (ODARA)

References

Index

About the Authors

N. Zoe Hilton, PhD, is a senior research scientist at the Mental Health Centre Penetanguishene, Ontario, Canada, and an adjunct assistant professor of psychiatry at the University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. She holds degrees from the University of Southampton, Southampton, England; the University of Cambridge Institute of Criminology, Cambridge, England; and a PhD in psychology from the University of Toronto. Her research work and publications are primarily on the topic of violence in relationships, including women's perspectives, theoretical aspects, and risk assessment.

Grant T. Harris, PhD, is the director of research at the Mental Health Centre Penetanguishene (MHCP), Ontario, Canada. He is also an adjunct associate professor of psychology at Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada, and an adjunct associate professor of psychiatry at the University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Over the past 3 decades, he has received many research grants and has conducted extensive scientific research on violent and criminal behavior, psychopathy, sexual aggression and deviance, all of which has resulted in more than 120 publications in the scientific and professional literature. He co-authored the American Psychological Association best-selling book Violent Offenders: Appraising and Managing Risk, now in its second edition, as well as others on rape and institutional violence.

He obtained a BSc from the University of Toronto, and a PhD in experimental psychology from McMaster University. He joined the staff of the MHCP in 1980 and for several years was responsible for the development and supervision of behavioral programs on a maximum security unit for dangerous and assaultive men.

He has been the recipient of such awards as the Career Contribution Award from the Criminal Justice Section of the Canadian Psychological Association and the Amethyst Award for Outstanding Achievement by an Ontario Public Servant.

Marnie E. Rice, PhD, is a fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, Canada's senior national body of distinguished scientists and scholars. She has worked at the Mental Health Centre Penetanguishene, Ontario, Canada, for 33 years, as a clinical psychologist; researcher; and, for 14 years, director of research. She is currently research director emerita and part-time professor of psychiatry and behavioral neurosciences at McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada; adjunct professor of psychiatry at the University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada; and adjunct associate professor of psychology at Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada.

She has produced more than 130 scientific publications, including several on the topic of sex offenders. Her work has been cited more than 2,000 times in the scientific and scholarly literature. She is a co-author of the American Psychological Association best-selling book Violent Offenders: Appraising and Managing Risk, now in its second edition, as well as three other books on rape, institutional violence, and risk assessment.

She has been the recipient of many awards, including the American Psychological Association's Award for Distinguished Contribution to Research in Public Policy, and the Career Contribution Award from the Criminal Justice Section of the Canadian Psychological Association.