Assessing Dangerousness: Domestic Violence Offenders and Child Abusers

Practitioners in the social, behavioral, and health fields often work with perpetrators and survivors of interpersonal violence. Many are asked to make predictions about the likelihood of future violence. Assessing Dangerousness reviews the intricacies of predicting intimate partner violence and homicide as well as child abuse and homicide to better prepare readers to make such assessments. Extensively revised, this classic volume highlights the latest research in clear and accessible language. Each contributor, a noted expert in their field, has faced the difficult task of assessing the risk of intimate partner violence and child abuse in courtrooms, clinics, shelters, hospitals, schools, and more. Their experience in research and practice makes this the go-to resource for anyone required to make predictions about violent behavior in family settings.

KEY FEATURES:

• Presents clinical and court examples requiring the assessment of risk and danger that appeals to practitioners in social work, psychology, nursing, counseling, criminology, and public health.
• Introduces an evidence based approach that practitioners can use to integrate risk assessment in a variety of settings.
• Covers the latest risk assessment instruments for use in the field including the Danger Assessment, the DVSI-R, and the ODARA.
• Highlights the newest and most promising applications of risk assessment such as the Maryland Network Against Domestic Violence Lethality Assessment Program.
• Synthesizes related legal and ethical issues to help practitioners implement risk assessment in a responsible way.
• Identifies prediction factors and risk markers for use in interventions.
• Exposes the overlap between child and intimate partner homicide, instrumental in identifying families with multiple risks.
• Presents the latest research on the risk of re-assault in intimate partner violence and risk over the life course.
• Reviews the latest version of Dr. Campbell’s Danger Assessment, the most widely used homicide risk assessment instrument for intimate partner violence survivors.
• Introduces two new authors in the chapters on child abuse lethality assessments and risk of IPV exposing readers to the rising stars in the field.