Domestic and family violence risk assessment
(Ended 10th Oct 2023)
Online
10th Oct 2023 to 10th Oct 2023
Tue, 10 Oct 2023 12:00 AM – 2:30 AM BST
Offender-focused risk assessment tools and frameworks play an important role in how Australia’s criminal justice systems respond to domestic and family violence (DFV). For example, most states and territory law enforcement agencies now have their own risk assessment tool or framework that they use when responding to suspected incidents of DFV.
A key potential benefit of risk assessment tools and frameworks is that they provide consistency in how we respond to DFV, and supplement practitioner knowledge about which offenders are ‘high-risk’ for reoffending and so should be prioritised for more intensive interventions. However, the evidence-base underpinning the perceived efficacy of risk assessment tools and frameworks, as well our understanding about the most appropriate methods for developing and implementing them, continues to evolve. Contemporary debates about DFV risk assessment focus on the methods that are used to develop and validate these tools, including the use of machine-learning analytic approaches, what types of information should be included in the assessment process, as well as how best to balance predictive accuracy with fairness. Further, there are ongoing questions about how these tools could be better utilised by other front-line agencies who have contact with perpetrators of DFV outside of the criminal justice system.
This webinar will discuss some of the latest research exploring the efficacy and usefulness of DFV risk assessment tools in Australia and New Zealand, with a focus on sharing lessons learned and identifying opportunities for improving DFV risk assessment tools.
Speakers
Dr Christopher Dowling
Dr Christopher Dowling is a Research Manager with the Australian Institute of Criminology. His published research covers a number of crime problems including domestic, family and sexual violence, youth offending and organised crime. He has also undertaken consultancy work for law enforcement and government stakeholders across Australia, focusing on the improvement of policing and policy responses to various forms of violence, organised crime, national security issues and cybercrime.
Dr Apriel Jolliffe Simpson
Dr Apriel Jolliffe Simpson is a Lecturer at Te Puna Haumaru – New Zealand Institute for Security of Crime Science (NZISCS) at the University of Waikato in New Zealand. Her research focuses on decision making in the context of crime, using approaches from forensic psychology, crime science, and quantitative criminology. For her PhD, Apriel statistically examined the predictive validity, strengths, and weaknesses of the risk assessments New Zealand Police and the multi-agency Integrated Safety Response use for family violence cases.
Professor Silke Meyer
Min-Taec Kim
Min-Taec Kim is one of the Research Managers at the NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research. He has conducted a range of research projects in criminal justice, including projects aimed at understanding the impact of audio-visual link on bail, the effectiveness of programs delivered in custody through High Intensity Program Units on reoffending and the recording of coercive control behaviours in domestic violence event narratives.
Samantha Venner
Samantha is a provisional psychologist currently in her final year of the Doctor of Psychology (Clinical and Forensic) at Swinburne University. She completed her undergraduate studies in Arts/Law at Monash University, and her psychology honours at Swinburne University where she graduated as dux and received the Swinburne medal for most outstanding undergraduate student. Samantha’s doctoral research focuses on cross-cultural risk assessment – particularly on the suitability of risk instruments, such as the LS/RNR, for use with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander, African and Pacific Islander people in Australia. Under supervision of Professor Stephane Shepherd, Samantha has published three research papers on this topic, and recently presented her research at the International Association of Forensic Mental Health conference in Sydney.