Risk Assessment Among Incarcerated Male Domestic Violence Offenders

Abstract

It is estimated that at least a third of incarcerated male offenders have committed domestic violence, but there is little research on risk assessment among such offenders. The authors tested the actuarial Ontario Domestic Assault Risk Assessment (ODARA), designed for frontline policing, with 150 incarcerated male domestic violence offenders followed for an average of 8 years (range = 0.1—10.6) and at risk for an average of 5 years (range = 0.0—10.5). The base rate of postrelease charges for domestic violence was 27%, and the mean ODARA score was 5.81 ( SD = 2.06). The ODARA predicted domestic violence recidivism (relative operating characteristic area = .64) significantly better than a general risk assessment, the Level of Service Inventory, and in follow-ups as short as 6 months. The ODARA also predicted recidivism severity and survival. Better identification of victim—offender relationships and measuring psychopathy are challenges for future research.