Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Date

2020

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy

Department

Counseling

Committee Chair

Stephen Zanskas

Committee Member

Karen Kitchens

Committee Member

Haley Zettler

Committee Member

Eraina Schauss

Abstract

AbstractRisk assessments are considered to be best practice in many states for assisting in sentencing decisions, bail conditions, and probation/parole requirements for intimate partner violence (IPV) offenders. However, most risk assessment tools that are currently being used were created using research on risk factors for recidivism in male IPV offenders. This is problematic given the percentage of females arrested for IPV-related crimes has increased substantially over the past decade. The purpose of this study was to examine the efficacy of a risk assessment tool developed for use specifically for female IPV offenders in predicting recidivism in comparison to a risk assessment tool that was created for male IPV offenders. The risk assessment tool developed for women was developed using the research available regarding risk factors for female IPV offenders and included the following factors: age, education level, employment stability, family of origin dysfunction, juvenile conduct problems, mental health history, past acts of physical aggression towards a non-intimate partner, prior history of IPV, prior termination of relationship at the offense, probability of Substance Use Disorder, and severity of the index offense. The newly developed risk assessment was applied to case files for 110 women who were previously assessed using a risk assessment tool that was created for male offenders. The sample was comprised of 88 % African-American women and 12% Caucasian women. The analysis used for this study was Simple Linear Regression. Results of the study found that there was not a significant difference between the two risk assessment tools in predicting recidivism for female offenders regarding IPV-related offenses or other criminal offenses. The findings suggest that risk factors for recidivism do not differ greatly between male and female IPV offenders and that current risk assessments may predict recidivism well for both genders. Keywords: risk assessment, intimate partner violence, female offenders

Comments

Data is provided by the student.

Library Comment

Dissertation or thesis originally submitted to ProQuest

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