Intimate Partner Homicide: Risk Assessment and Prospects for Prediction

• Published in: Journal of family violence Vol. 26; no. 3; pp. 211 - 216
• Main Authors: Eke, Angela W., Hilton, N. Zoe, Harris, Grant T., Rice, Marnie E., Houghton, Ruth E.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Boston Springer US 01.04.2011; Springer; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Assault; Behavioural psychology; Clinical Psychology; Crime; Criminology; Criminology and Criminal Justice; Domestic violence; Family Violence; Homicide; Law and Psychology; Males; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Murder; Murders & murder attempts; Original Article; Partner Abuse; Prevention; Psychiatry; Psychotherapy and Counseling; Quality of Life Research; Risk; Risk Assessment; Victims of crime; Batterers; Homicide; Intimate partner violence; Risk assessment
• ISSN: 0885-7482; 1573-2851
• DOI: 10.1007/s10896-010-9356-y

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, we examined the characteristics of 146 men who committed an actual or attempted act of IPH. Of these, 42% had prior criminal charges, 15% had a psychiatric history, and 18% had both; events which could feasibly have permitted a prior formal assessment of risk. We 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. We 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.