Based on discussions with jurisdictional contacts, it was found that while validated risk assessment tools are being used, piloted or reviewed in some provinces/territories, criminal justice personnel are also working with other mechanisms such as investigative checklists, case management tools and interagency protocols, created by their organizations in order to serve their particular needs.
It is noteworthy that while spousal violence risk assessment tools are often designed to assess either risk of recidivism or lethality, investigative checklists or case management tools do not have predictive value. However, in speaking with jurisdictional officials, these instruments serve an important purpose in facilitating efforts to:
The chart that follows provides a summary of spousal violence risk assessment tools, investigative checklists, case management tools and protocols.[1] It is organized by the province or territory where they are in use. Descriptions of these tools are then presented in alphabetical order by the title of the tool.
| Province or Territory |
Spousal Violence Risk Assessment Tools/Investigative Checklists/Case Management Tools/Protocols |
| Newfoundland and Labrador |
- Spousal Assault Risk Assessment (SARA) (Correctional Services)
- Level of Service Case Management Inventory (LS/CMI) (Adult Probation Services)
- Violence in Relationship Investigative Checklist (RCMP)
- Spousal/Partner Abuse, Assault Court Package Supplement (RCMP)
|
| Prince Edward Island |
- Domestic Violence Police Investigation Checklist (municipal police departments and
RCMP)
- Level of Service Inventory–Revised (LSI-R) (Community and Correctional Services)
- Woman Abuse Protocols (a partnership between police, Probation Services, Victim Services, Adult Custody, family court counsellors, Turning Point, Financial Assistance and Hospital Emergency)
- Court Information Package (police, RCMP)
|
| Nova Scotia |
- High Risk for Lethality Case Coordination Protocol Framework (police, Victim Services, Community Corrections staff, transition houses, men's intervention programs and child welfare)
- Ontario Domestic Assault Risk Assessment (ODARA) (RCMP, municipal police departments, military police and Correctional Services)[2]
- Level of Service Case Management Inventory (LS/CMI) (Correctional Services)[3]
- Domestic Violence Inventory[4] (DVI) (Correctional Services )
- Danger Assessment (transition houses, Child Welfare Services and Victim Services)
|
| New Brunswick |
- Brief Spousal Assault Form for the Evaluation of Risk (B-SAFER) (municipal police departments, RCMP)
- Spousal Assault Risk Assessment (SARA) (Correctional and Probation Services)
- Ontario Domestic Assault Risk Assessment (ODARA) (Probation Services)
- Aid to Safety Assessment Planning (ASAP) (victims' advocates and Victim Services)
- Risk Management System (Child Protection Services)
- Domestic Violence Court Project (Prosecution Services, Probation Services, Victim Services, Courts, Legal Aid Services and police departments)
- Level of Service Case Management Inventory (LS/CMI) (Probation Services)
- Danger Assessment (Victim Services)
|
| Québec |
- Response Protocol for Quebec Police Services (police)
- Séjournelle project (project involves representatives from: Sûreté du Québec, the Bureau des substituts du Procureur général, Quebec correctional services, the Commission québécoise des libérations conditionnelles, a women's shelter and a resource centre for abusive men)
|
| Ontario |
- Ontario Domestic Assault Risk Assessment (ODARA) (police)
- Spousal Assault Risk Assessment (SARA) (police)
- Victim's Statement of Risk (police)
- Domestic Violence Supplementary Report Form (DVSRF) (police)
|
| Manitoba |
- Family Violence Risk Factor Checklist (Victim Services )
- Professional assessment by social workers
- Offender Risk Assessment Management System –Primary Risk Assessment (ORAMS-PRA) (Correctional Services)[5]
|
| Saskatchewan |
- Saskatchewan Primary Risk Assessment (SPRA)(Probation Services)
- Offender Risk Assessment Management System –Primary Risk Assessment (ORAMS-PRA) (Correctional Services)
- Ontario Domestic Assault Risk Assessment (ODARA) (provincial correctional centres,Probation Services, domestic violence caseworkers associated with domestic violence courts and police-based victim services programs)
|
| Alberta |
- The Alberta Relationship Threat Assessment Management Initiative (ARTAMI) (a resource for police, prosecutors, child intervention case workers, women's shelters, corrections personnel, and mental health experts in helping victims in high risk relationships and stalking situations)
- Family Violence Investigation Report (FVIR) (RCMP, municipal police and First Nations police services)
- Spousal Assault Risk Assessment (SARA) (police, RCMP, ARTAMI Threat Assessment Unit)
- Stalking Assessment and Management (SAM) (police, RCMP, ARTAMI Threat Assessment Unit)
- HCR-20 (ARTAMI Threat Assessment Unit)
- Risk of Sexual Violence Protocol (RSVP) (ARTAMI Threat Assessment Unit)
|
| British Columbia |
- Spousal Assault Risk Assessment (SARA) (Correctional Services,Domestic Violence and Criminal Harassment Unit, Vancouver Police Department)
- B-SAFER (municipal police domestic violence units)
- Aid to Safety Assessment Planning (ASAP)[6] (Victim Services)
- Stalking and Assessment Management (SAM) (Domestic Violence and Criminal Harassment Unit, Vancouver Police Department and the Behavioural Sciences Unit of the RCMP, Surrey, British Columbia)
- HCR-20 Domestic Violence and Criminal Harassment Unit, Vancouver Police Department and the Behavioural Sciences Unit of the RCMP, Surrey, British Columbia)
- Threat Assessment Questions for Field Personnel (Domestic Violence and Criminal Harassment Unit, Vancouver Police Department)
|
| Northwest Territories |
- Currently reviewing tools used by Alberta (RCMP)
- Yellowknife Interagency Family Violence Protocol (involves YWCA Alison McAteer House (local family violence shelter), Centre for Northern Families, Public Prosecution Service of Canada, NWT Regional Office, Yellowknife RCMP Detachment, Stanton Territorial Health Authority, Yellowknife Health and Social Services Authority, Canada/NWT Service Centre, Income Security Programs and Yellowknife Victim Services)
|
| Yukon |
- Spousal Assault Risk Assessment (SARA) (Correctional and Probation Services, RCMP)
- Level of Service Inventory –Revised (LSI-R) (Probation Services)
|
| Nunavut |
- Offender Risk Assessment Management System –Primary Risk Assessment (ORAMS-PRA) (Correctional Services)
- Currently reviewing LS/CMI for future use (Correctional Services)
|
