Aboriginality and violence: gender and cultural differences on the Level of Service/Risk, Need, Responsivity (LS/RNR) and Violence Risk Scale (VRS)

Abstract

There is an over-representation of Aboriginal/Indigenous people in the criminal justice systems of Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United States, with offences committed by male and female Aboriginal prisoners predominantly involving physical violence against a person. Risk assessment tools used have not been developed for Aboriginal people, and validations have produced varied results. The current study focused on violent offenders and investigated the differences between four demographic groups – Aboriginal females (AF), non-Aboriginal females (NAF), Aboriginal males (AM) and non-Aboriginal males (NAM) – on the Level of Service/Risk, Need, Responsivity (LS/RNR) and Violence Risk Scale (VRS; including Screening Version, VRS–SV). Significant differences were evident between all groups; however, there were limited differences between AF and NAF with differences on the VRS–SV primarily due to static factors. Aboriginality did not appear to elevate risk for violent females. The limitations of the study are discussed plus the recommendations for future research.