Stalking Behaviours and Intimate Partner Violence Risk

Abstract

Current risk assessment tools have been shown to accurately predict reoffending behaviours. However, these risk tools rarely include stalking as a risk factor. For example, the Ontario Domestic Assault Risk Assessment (ODARA) has been found to be both reliable and valid but does not include stalking as one of its 13 items. Research has shown that 30-40% of stalking cases involve violence, and that victims of intimate partner violence (IPV) are at an elevated risk of being stalked by their intimate partners. Additionally, it is proposed that IPV victims are more likely to experience more violence from their stalkers in comparison to non-victims. This study aims to examine two things. The first is to study the relationship between stalking behaviours among IPV perpetrators with and without offending histories in stalking. It is predicted that individuals who stalk are more likely to reoffend both generally and in terms of stalking related crime. Moreover, it is predicted that those who stalk will breach their conditions and engage in more severe and frequent recidivism. This study will also examine whether the addition of stalking as an item to the validated ODARA will further improve prediction of recidivism. Research in this area is key to better understanding the role of stalking in cases of IPV. If stalking is a relevant risk factor, then police may be able to more accurately assess the risk of IPV perpetrators, and this can lead to improved allocation of resources to higher risk offenders, in order to prevent recidivism.

Presented in absentia on April 27, 2020 at "Student Research Day" at MacEwan University in Edmonton, Alberta. (Conference cancelled)

Faculty Mentor: Sandy Jung

Department: Psychology

NOTE: This work is available to MacEwan users only at https://roam.macewan.ca/islandora/object/gm:2067