Intimate Partner Homicide: Risk Assessment and Prospects for Prediction

• NCJ Number: 234351
• Journal: Journal of Family Violence Volume: 26 Issue: 3 Dated: April 2011 Pages: 211-216
• Author(s): Angela W. Eke; N. Zoe Hilton; Grant T. Harris; Marnie E. Rice; Ruth E. Houghton
• Date Published: April 2011
• Length: 6 pages
• Sponsoring Agency: Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This study examined the risk assessment for the prediction of intimate partner homicide (IPH).

Abstract

Little is known about assessing the risk of intimate partner homicide (IPH). Research has shown that women killed by an intimate partner scored higher than abuse survivors in retrospectively measured risk for IPH. In this study, the authors examined the characteristics of 146 men who committed an actual or attempted act of IPH. Of these, 42 percent had prior criminal charges, 15 percent had a psychiatric history, and 18 percent had both; events which could feasibly have permitted a prior formal assessment of risk. The authors also identified a subsample of 30 who could be scored on the Ontario Domestic Assault Risk Assessment (ODARA; Hilton et al., Psychological Assessment, 16, 267-275, 2004). The mean ODARA score was at the 80th percentile of risk for domestic violence, although only 13 had a previously documented partner assault. The authors conclude that co-operation among sectors responding to domestic violence and the shared use of validated risk assessment will increase the prediction and potential prevention of IPH. (Published Abstract)