ABSTRACT
In recent years there has been a surge in research and commentary on intimate partner violence risk assessment. A number of comprehensive literature reviews have now been published on risk factors for intimate partner violence (Bennett Cattaneo and Goodman 2005; Dutton and Kropp 2000; Hilton and Harris 2005; Riggs et al. 2000; Schumacher et al. 2001; Vest et al. 2002) and femicide (Aldridge and Browne 2003; Campbell et al. 2001). There have also been a number of efforts to develop risk assessment tools to assist frontline professionals in assessing and managing risk in these cases. They include the Danger Assessment (DA: Campbell, 1995), the Domestic Violence Screening Inventory (DVSI: Williams and Houghton 2004), the Spousal Assault Risk Assessment Guide (SARA: Kropp et al. 1995, 1999) and the Ontario Domestic Assault Risk Assessment (ODARA: Hilton et al. 2004). However, with increased attention to risk assessment in this field some controversy has emerged about a number of practical, professional and ethical issues. For example, there is little agreement in the field regarding how to define risk, how to establish professional standards for conducting assessments, how we should communicate risk information and what is the most appropriate method for assessing risk.
