Summary: | "From a domestic violence victim's first contact with authorities 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 and must ensure targeted provisions are in place to prevent recurrences of violence. 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 authors assert that making it public policy to use these tools systematically 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 also functions as 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 risk assessments"--Jacket. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved).
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