John, is 52 years old and currently serving a sentence following a conviction of aggravated assault against his step-son. The index offence left John’s victim hospitalised, due to the seriousness of his injuries and as a consequence of John’s alcohol fuelled violent behaviour. John is a persistent violent offender and has past convictions against, his current partner and an ex-partner, for which he has was detained in prison. This evaluation was requested to assess the risk and management of future violent behaviour of John.
This evaluation is based on a review of CPD documentation relating to the index assault and previous convictions. Due to John’s violent behaviour concerning intimate partners and a family member, the Spousal Assault Risk Assessment (SARA), is the chosen structured professional assessment, to measure John’s risk factors and to prevent further violence in the future (Douglas & Kropp, 2002).
SARA considerations Criminal history: John is a persistent violent offender with previous convictions of spousal assault, placing him at higher risk of recidivism in the future (Sonkin, 1987). Statistics indicate severe rates for repeated domestic violence at 73%, suggesting three-quarters of domestic violent offenders, are at risk of recidivism (Home Office Statistical Bulletin, 2011). Furthermore, John has a history of violating community supervision and contact orders relating to past offences, suggesting an increased risk to recidivate in comparison to other
Larry was identified as an overall high risk to re-offend, with moderate high dynamic risk and moderate protective factors. Larry and his family’s strengths and protective factors include family support. Larry and his family specific priority areas that should be targeted to reduce the risk of reoffending include reducing Larry’s criminal activity and involvement and maintaining stabling housing. Larry and his family should target community and peers, attitude and
An Offender Manager’s (OM) role identified by Goldhill & Skinner, 2013, is to build a rapport, understand an offender’s pathway to offending, undertake a risk assessment that addresses the risk of reoffending, the risk of harm that they pose, and to devise a plan for supporting them out of offending. In order to manage the risk in both cases, I have used the risk assessment tools Offender Assessment System (OASys) and the Offender Group Reconviction Scale (OGRS) to determine that both the offenders which I will be referring to pose a medium risk of reoffending. OASys was introduced in the Probation Service in
analyzed were age, race, prior criminal history, and severity of intimate partner violence committed. The types of data analyses used were Chi-squared and binary logistic regression.
The NSW legal system has responded to the issue of domestic violence to achieve justice for family members. The Crimes (Domestic and Personal Violence) Act 2007 was introduced to better protect victims and the families of domestic violence. Under section 38 of this act, Apprehended Domestic Violence Order (ADVO’s) were introduced to protect the adult, importantly, it also instantly includes any children that are living with the adult at the time, unless there are valid reasons as to why they should be let off. This is highly effective for the family of domestic violence as it also ensures the safety of children which demonstrates fairness and equality as all members of the family are included to ensure safety. This act was also significant
Domestic violence perpetrators that become involved in the criminal justice system are overwhelmingly male offenders between the ages of 18 and 35 years old. Data from studies conducted in the United States have revealed that a significant amount of male abusers have had some type of previous contact with the criminal justice system. It should be noted that this contact includes positive and negative encounters. Since abusers come from all walks of life, they can be respected law-abiding members of their communities or unpopular individuals with a criminal history. There are no set standards or explicit personality traits that wholly identify abusers. However, researchers have identified certain indicators and risk factors that may predispose one to become an abuser (U.S. Department of Justice, 2009).
With regards to the Secretary of State for Justice, this report will investigate domestic violence within England and Wales. As the government advisor, I will be looking into the definitions and key legal documents associated with this crime, its prevalence within today’s society, the offenders and it’s victims of domestic abuse alongside the causes and motivations which may cause domestic violence. Furthermore, I will be giving any criticisms and recommendations I may have as to how this crime type should be addressed in the future.
According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics half of the female victims of domestic violence experience more than one incident of abuse (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2013). In Queensland using spousal abuse as a defence to murder can be problematic for female defendants who kill their abusers. Jurors in most cases relating to spousal abuse tend to find the act of pre-emptive killing in self-defence not justifiable. Queensland’s Criminal Code should be amended to allow the ‘Abusive Domestic Relationship Defence’ to be used as a full defence. This can be proven as victims of violence tend to lack the ability to make logical decisions; individuals feel a case of entrapment and the victim signals violence and acts before the onset of abuse.
Article 1 focused on two key questions; ‘does the decision to imprison differ between domestic and non-domestic violence cases when perpetrators are sentenced under similar circumstances’ and ‘whether domestic violence perpetrators receive prison terms similar to non-domestic violence offenders’(Bond & Jefferies 2014, p856). The research relied on adult lower court data. The results from a sample of 64,238 cases found that domestic violence cases differ significantly from non-domestic violence cases, on most characteristics. Offenders in domestic violence cases are on average older, more likely to be indigenous and less likely to be female. Judicial use of incarceration is slightly (but statistically significant) higher in domestic violence cases compared with non-domestic violence cases, of
There are many acts to cover like; The Anti- Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014, Police Reform act 2002, Antisocial Behaviour Act 2003 and a Crime and Disorder Act 1998. But the first one that I will be covering is the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014. This is an act which was put into power to cover a range of topics from giving people information about harm in relationships, violence, forced marriages and guns. This will help to protect the victims who were involved in harmful relationships. With the act introducing new powers it gives the
Offenders and Victims tend to be around a similar age, while offenders of other homicide categories in cases where there is no known relationship, the perpetrators are younger than the victims (Australian Institute of Criminology). Age is inconsistent with the general pattern in this case as Gittany and Ms Harnum were 10 years apart. The dynamics of Mr Gittany and Ms Harnum relationship are consistent with the general pattern concerning gender characteristics. Men are generally driven to commit IPH due to possessive and jealous impulses within the relationship in connection to the threat of separation and control over their spouse (Weizmann-Henelius et al., 2011). There was undoubtable evidence to suggest Mr Gittany was abusive, controlling and domineering within the relationship. He would keep track of her movements by bugging her phone and by surveillance means without Ms Harnums knowledge. Studies show contradictory results, whether mental disorders and personality disorders correlate with IPH. Watt (2008) suggests that cases congruent with spouse batterers, have generally tested positively with a personality disorder, however offenders convicted of IPH rarely have psychopathic traits (Weizmann-Henelius et al., 2011). Although Gittany’s mental health assessment suggested he suffered from depressive,
The effects of intimate partner violence are attenuating and extend far beyond physical scarring. The abuse of woman and children has been researched extensively by Rachel Pain (2014, p. 536) as acts of “terrorism within the home”. If we are to compare the experience of women and children living in violent homes and the act of ‘terrorism’ itself we get a corresponding experience (Pain, 2014, p. 546). The construction of fear, the loss of identity, the ongoing distress of constantly feeling unsafe, isolated from all support networks are the surreal and ongoing daily struggles for domestic violence victims. Living in such horrific conditions has immense physical and psychological effects on those directly exposed or indirectly exposed to such violence. Through this research the links between domestic violence and ill health has been well-established. In an attempt to combat this prevalence element two of It Stops Here (NSW): a “streamlined referral pathways to support victims’ safety and support their recovery” was introduced (NSW Government, 2014, p. 18). Through this second element, there has been a strong focus on being able to better identify risk and supporting victims. From the inquest inquiry into Luke’s death, Coroner Ian Grey stated that "I find that there is no validated risk-assessment tool that can accurately predict whether a parent is likely to commit filicide." (ABC News, 2015). In an attempt to close the gap on such issues in July 2015 It Stops Here (NSW)
According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), from December 2013 to December 2014, the amount of recorded sexual offences has risen by 32 percent to 80,262 for England and Wales (ONS, 2015:13). The most serious cases of sex offending will result in a custodial sentence. From 2005 to 2011 the proportion of offenders who received a custodial sentence for committing sexual offences is between 55 and 59 percent (ibid, 41). Custody is an immediate way of protecting the public from the future risks posed by a serious sexual offender. However, at some point of the offender’s custodial sentence, it is likely that they will be granted their right to parole; and eventually will be released into the community. Furthermore, the less serious sexual offenders who receive suspended sentences, community sentences, or fines are also dealt with in the community and therefore put the public at immediate risk of harm. Although the risks can never be fully eliminated, it is extremely important that the amount of risk imposed on society is kept to a minimum (Harrison, 2011:78). This essay will focus on the Violent and Sex Offenders Register (ViSOR) and Multi Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA), and evaluate their effectiveness on minimising the risk of harm to the public.
The nature versus nurture debate is an ongoing debate among social scientists relating to whether ones personality/personal characteristics are the result of his/her inherited genetic traits or the result of environmental factors such as upbringing, social status, financial stability, and more. One of the topics that are discussed among psychologists is the study of violent behavior among people as a whole, and in particular, individuals. Social scientists try to explain why people commit acts of violence through explanation of either side of the nature or nurture schools of thought. However, the overwhelming amount of research done into the relation of violent behavior and the nature versus nurture debate indicated that nurture is the primary explanation to explaining violent behavior because violent traits are learned from adults, someone’s social upbringing is a major factor to why some people are more violent than others, and finally influences from news media, movies, and video games enhance the chance for someone to exhibit violent behavior. In conclusion, violent behavior is a complex issue without a clear explanation that is overwhelmingly supported by the nurture side of the debate.
Mr. X came in to have a risk assessment done. He is currently in a forensic hospital receiving treatment. There are quite a few risk factors for Mr. X that will increase the likelihood that he will commit an act of violence again. The first factor is pervious violence. Mr. X have several documented cases of violence in his history. He also was at a young age when his first act of violence occurred. Mr. X also has a long substance abuse history. He also has early maladjustment, psychopathy, a major mental illness, and relationship instability. He may also have a personality disorder and prior supervision may have failed as well. While Mr. X does have a lot of risk factors for increasing violence he also seems to respond very well to therapeutic
Everybody knows the effects of violence. The effects of violent behavior are generally bad. The causes are something very little known. Most people say that violent video games and television shows are the source of violence in our society but they are not the only source. There are many theories that try to explain what those causes are. Theories include, biological, macrosocial, and psychosocial.