
Director, Family Violence Institute
Northern Arizona University

Law Enforcement Training Coordinator, Family Violence Institute, Northern Arizona University
This webinar will address the origins, development, and science of the Arizona intimate Partner Risk Assessment Instrument System (APRAIS) as an example of community informed risk assessment. Presenters will explore the deployment of the tool and its accompanying protocols in the fields of law enforcement, victim advocacy, and the courts. Of paramount importance are respect for the autonomy, dignity, informed consent, and liberty rights of victims, the due process rights of suspects, and the need to be candid and transparent about the limited predictive capabilities of all risk assessment tools that screen for future threats of intimate partner violence (IPV).
This includes an assessment of sexual assault committed within the context of IPV, often referred to as intimate partner sexual assault (IPSA). While the obstacles victims face in reporting IPV are significant, there are additional risks of disclosing IPSA. This disclosure can be particularly humiliating to the victim, as well as the abuser, and it can be confusing to victims when consensual sex is mixed with the threat of sexual violence. When law enforcement identifies IPSA as a risk factor for possible future re-assault or severe re-assault, it may help victims make the decision to access services and begin the road to recovery from the abuse
Objectives
At the conclusion of this webinar, participants will be better able to:
- Develop a coordinated community response to IPV risk assessment, including an assessment for IPSA, and incorporate in the justice system response.
- Explore how a risk assessment tool like APRAIS can help law enforcement to work with victims of IPV / IPSA, increasing both victim cooperation and access.
- Design and implement training on IPV / IPSA risk assessment, including uses, risks, and benefits.
- Explain how the use of a validated risk assessment can increase victim access to services, improve decision-making throughout the system, and enhances safety for victims of IPV / IPSA.
With a paid registration or subscription, you are free to personally listen to this webinar, as many times as you wish. You may also excerpt or cite the material following accepted conventions. However, you may not allow other individuals to listen to this webinar without their own registration or subscription.
This project is supported by Grant No. 2015-TA-AX-K015 awarded by the Office on Violence Against Women, U.S. Department of Justice. The opinions, findings, conclusions, and recommendations expressed in this publication/program are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Department of Justice, Office on Violence Against Women.