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PROGRESS REPORT ON... partner abuse

Randy Kropp

Clinical & Forensic Psychologist,
BC Forensic Psychiatric Services Commission
Research Consultant, BCIFV

During the past ten years I've witnessed tremendous progress in criminal justice, health, and academic responses to domestic violence. Public awareness of the incidence, nature, and consequences of domestic violence has increased dramatically. This awareness has been aided by proactive arrest policies, public education campaigns, and a research literature that has mushroomed in the past ten years. Interestingly, I've had the opportunity to consult with many provincial, state, and international agencies regarding their interventions for domestic violence, and the policies and efforts to combat this problem in British Columbia come second to none.

My own clinical and research interests in this area have focused on spousal violence risk assessment, which I see as an emerging and critical topic. This view was reinforced by the popularity of a recent conference, co-hosted by the BC Institute Against Family Violence, entitled "Risk Assessment and Risk Management: Implications for the Prevention of Violence." Much of the content of this conference centered around risk assessment and safety planning in domestic violence cases. I was humbled by how much we don't know about this topic, and by the work that must take place before clinical and criminal justice practice can truly be informed by the young science of risk assessment. I predict that "hot topics" of the next decade will include the integration of victim safety assessment with offender risk assessment, the systematic linking of risk assessment with risk management, and the challenge of training front line professionals - including police - in the identification of risk factors. I believe that risk assessment/management can become a paradigm for intervening with domestic violence perpetrators and victims at every level of the criminal justice and health systems.