Developing a Horizontal Risk Assessment Instrument for incidents of domestic violence victims in Greece: Understanding the landscape and risk factors as identified by the Hellenic Police

Abstract

ABSTRACT This article describes the process of developing the Hellenic Risk Assessment Instrument reaching the pilot phase, with particular application to the police. The Risk Assessment tool is designed to assess incidents of domestic violence for recidivism and lethality. In particular, the Hellenic Risk Assessment tool is designed to be applied horizontally, across all frontline national agencies that receive reports of domestic violence and abuse (health, police, social services, specialised network of structures for victim support). First, the legal underpinnings nationally and internationally will be described, and the theoretical background and methodology for the overall project will be discussed. During the first stage of the development, data were collected from the specialised department for domestic violence in the Hellenic Police force for the period from January 2019 until July 2021. The data pertained to six overall parameters, which were selected to identify potential risk markers that might be potentially present in the Greek domestic violence incidents. These include perpetrator variables (age, gender, ethnicity), victim variables (age, gender, ethnicity), incident variables (type of violence, and prevalence). In addition, the number of cases reported before and after a domestic homicide, the number of cases at the times of major sporting events and at during the major holidays were investigated. The results were then analysed and will be presented and cross-referenced with other international findings and were used to create the preliminary version of the risk assessment tool. During the second phase of the development of the tool, focus groups were conducted with police officers who covered various departments (Anti-Racism division, Homicide division, Minors, Domestic Violence), that came into direct or indirect contact with victims of abuse, and could offer significant insight into risk factors and parameters that could potentially lead to recidivism and to lethal violence and be usefully incorporated within the tool as well as give their expert opinion as to its efficacy.