Domestic Violence Risk Assessment

The second edition of this authoritative text helps professionals charged with curbing domestic violence to assess and manage offenders and their risk of recidivism.

With thoroughly updated guidelines and scoring manuals based on user experiences and international research, this book presents a comprehensive risk assessment system comprised of the Ontario Domestic Assault Risk Assessment (ODARA) and the Domestic Violence Risk Appraisal Guide (DVRAG).

It demonstrates how to score, interpret, and communicate the results of these evaluations, and how to incorporate their results into broader discussions of public policy.

The detailed guidelines in this manual are accessible to a wide interdisciplinary audience, including psychologists, victim service and child protection workers, lawyers, police, and threat analysts.

Also new to this edition are coverage of female offenders, alongside male offenders, and further guidance for assisting victims of domestic violence, making this a crucial resource for ensuring victim safety, treating offenders, and informing criminal justice procedures through empirically informed research and practice.

Acknowledgments

Introduction: Domestic Violence Assessment and Risk Management

I. Overview of Domestic Violence Risk Assessment

1. Domestic Violence Risk Assessment Research and Theory
2. Risk Assessment for Criminal Justice, Domestic Violence Treatment, and Victim Services

II. Understanding and Applying the ODARA and the DVRAG

3. Creating a Frontline Risk Assessment: The Ontario Domestic Assault Risk Assessment (ODARA)
4. Validations and Applications of the Ontario Domestic Assault Risk Assessment (ODARA)
5. Creating an In-depth Risk Assessment: The Domestic Violence Risk Appraisal Guide (DVRAG)
6. Scoring Manual for the Ontario Domestic Assault Risk Assessment (ODARA)
7. Scoring Manual for the Domestic Violence Risk Appraisal Guide (DVRAG)

III. Additional Considerations for Risk Assessment and Management

8. Choosing a Risk Assessment Approach: Hypothesis Versus Evidence
9. Risk Communication
10. Implementing Actuarial Risk Assessment
11. Questions and Answers about the Ontario Domestic Assault Risk Assessment / Domestic Violence Risk Appraisal Guide (ODARA/DVRAG) System

Afterword: Future Directions in Domestic Abuse Assessment and Risk Management

Appendix: Case Materials for Scoring Practice

References

Index

About the Author

N. Zoe Hilton, PhD, is associate professor of psychiatry at the University of Toronto and Senior Research Scientist at the Waypoint Centre for Mental Health Care in Penetanguishene, Ontario.

She is also a registered psychologist and a Fellow of the Canadian Psychological Association. She has authored or coauthored over 100 publications, primarily on violence risk assessment, risk communication, and other areas of forensic psychology.

She received the 2010 Significant Contribution Award from the Canadian Psychological Association Criminal Justice Section for outstanding contributions to domestic violence risk assessment.

Zoe Hilton lives and works in Ontario, Canada.