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Assessing risk assessment in cases of domestic abuse

Domestic abuse affects roughly one-third of women worldwide and carries serious consequences for victims, their children, and society at large. This lecture presents findings from three studies examining the risk assessment process which has been used across England since 2009 to help police identify victims at high risk of serious repeat abuse and connect them with protective services.
Domestic abuse affects roughly one-third of women worldwide and carries serious consequences for victims, their children, and society at large. This lecture presents findings from three studies examining the risk assessment process which has been used across England since 2009 to help police identify victims at high risk of serious repeat abuse and connect them with protective services.
Thursday 26 March 2026 | 1 hour 14 minutes 9 seconds
Watch on YouTubeDownload File | 67.96MB

Domestic abuse affects roughly one-third of women worldwide and carries serious consequences for victims, their children, and society at large. This lecture presents findings from three studies examining the risk assessment process which has been used across England since 2009 to help police identify victims at high risk of serious repeat abuse and connect them with protective services.

Drawing on data from approximately 150,000 intimate partner violence cases, the research asks three questions: how well does the risk assessment predict future serious incidents, does the process help reduce them, and what explains officers’ decisions? The findings offer both sobering conclusions and a constructive path forward, with implications for how police and policymakers might think about the design and use of risk assessment tools in domestic abuse cases.