The Australian Homicide Project:

Transcription

1 The Australian Homicide Project: Key Findings on Intimate Partner Homicide Paul Mazerolle Griffith University Li Eriksson Griffith University Holly Johnson University of Ottawa Richard Wortley University College London

2 Intimate partner homicide: Setting the scene Approximately 300 homicide incidents in Australia each year ~20% involving intimate partners Intimate partner homicide (IPH) is a rare event amongst the volume of partner violence incidents IPH is often preceded by a history of partner violence Police and social welfare responses are often involved, but not exclusively IPH is still largely preventable, yet preventative responses require greater understanding of the pathway toward IPH, including the developmental and situational components

3 Knowledge gaps Past knowledge of homicide based on police/coroner case files largely static Need to examine how risks emerge and change over time in a dynamic set of sequences Do male and female perpetrators t differ in their pathways to homicide? Do current theories/explanations adequately capture escalation in risks? Do current assessment protocols have appropriate precision to capture changes in risks?

4 The Australian Homicide Project Australian Research Council Discovery Project Comprehensive data collection effort in scale, scope and sophistication Allows for comparisons across homicide categories Developmental pathways from partner violence to IPH Considers the situational context, as well as the interaction between developmental pathways and situational aspects Male and female asymmetry in pathways to homicide perpetration

5 The Australian Homicide Project: Main objectives To examine individual, social and situational differences between IPH and other forms of homicide To examine individual, social, and situational factors related to homicide To apply and extend theoretical models for understanding and explaining homicide To uncover factors, events, or circumstances associated with an escalation of risks for IPH To examine the developmental pathways linking intimate partner violence and IPH To examine gender differences in homicide perpetrationp To examine the further potential of police and social welfare agencies in assessing escalation of risks prior to the occurrence of fatal incidents

6 Escalation of risks Risk escalation Intervention point

7 Methodology Structured face-to-face interviews conducted at correctional facilities and probation and parole offices across Australia Our target sample is 300 men and women convicted of murder or manslaughter The data collection instrument utilises measures drawn from established scales with sound psychometric properties Measurement areas include:» demographic and individual factors» attitudinal questions assessing gender roles, sexual proprietariness, and power-control» alcohol and drug use experiences» violence perpetration and victimisation in prior relationships including family of origin» situational factors related to IPH incidents» experiences with the criminal justice system and social welfare agencies

8 The Life Event Calendar Interviews further utilise a Life Event Calendar methodology to assess repeated measures of events and experiences over time The approach requires respondents to identify when significant events (e.g. separation, job loss, marital conflict, child custody disputes, arrests) occurred» The time frame is the 12 months leading up to the homicide id incident id» Further includes examination of the week preceding the incident Life Event Calendars capture change in the life of offenders, and allow for sequencing of incidences/events to assess causes and outcomes This methodology improves memory recall compared to traditional questionnaires, particularly due to its use of significant personal and national events as anchor points (Belli et al., 2001; Loftus & Marburger, 1983)

9 The Life Event Calendar: an example LIFE EVENT CALENDAR Question: At any point during these 12 months MONTHS Yes No Mar April May June July Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb G_1 Were you in a relationship? X X X X X X X X G_2 Married legally G_3 De facto X X X G_4 Dating (not living together) X X X X X G_5 Did you and your partner separate? X G_6 Did your partner threaten to leave you? X X G_7 Did your partner cheat on you? X G_8 Did you have a DVO against you? X X X X G_9 Were you arrested? G_10 Were you on probation or parole? G_11 Were you working for pay? X X X X X G_12 Did you lose a job? X G_12 Were you on Commonwealth benefits? X X X X X X X X G_13 13Were you unable to pay your bills? X X X X X X X X Note: This is a simplified version

10 Current project status 211 interviews completed so far» 184 in correctional facilities across Queensland, Western Australia and New South Wales» 27 in probation and parole across Queensland and Western Australia Data collection due to start in Victoria and Tasmania in May 2012 Contact t made with corrections in South Australia, ACT and the Northern Territory

11 KEY FINDINGS: OFFENDER AND VICTIM CHARACTERISTICS

12 Offender victim relationship

13 Gender - offender

14 Gender victim

15 Mean age at time of incident

16 Indigenous status (ATSI)

17 Relationship status at time of incident - offender

18 Level of education at time of incident offender

19 Ever arrested as juvenile offender

20 Ever formally cautioned by the police - offender

21 Ever served a community order - offender

22 Male offenders attitudes toward partner violence Revised Attitudes toward Wife Abuse scale (Yoshioka & Dinoia, 2000)» 14 items» 6-point Likert scale» Higher scores indicate condoning attitudes toward wife abuse» Cronbach alpha =.85 Measures endorsement of male privileges and situation-specific approval of violence, for example:» Some wives seem to ask for beatings from their husbands» A husband has the right to hit his wife if she has sex with another man

23 The road ahead Expected completion of data collection end of 2012 Examine gender differences in causes, motives, and pathways for different forms of homicide Assess temporal sequencing in pathways leading to lethal violence, particularly how risks develop over time and become magnified when specific situations occur Examine and compare theoretical explanations of homicide offences Explore differences between intimate partner homicide offenders and non-lethal partner violence using available datasets Examine characteristics of intimate partner homicide suicide through coroner s data