A Comprehensive Examination of the Role of the Spousal Assault Risk Assessment Guide, Domestic Violence Risk Appraisal Guide, Ontario Domestic Assault Risk Assessment, and Danger Assessment in Canadian Courts and Tribunals

Intimate partner violence risk plays a role in many legal decisions (e.g., dangerous offender designations, sentencing, probation) and is frequently assessed using empirically established risk assessment tools. Although literature tends to describe satisfactory predictive validity and clinical benefit of using these tools, little information exists about their use in Canadian court judgments. A review of the Canadian Legal Information Institute and WestLaw identified 136 cases using at least one of four common intimate partner violence risk assessment tools (i.e., Spousal Assault Risk Assessment Guide, Domestic Violence Risk Appraisal Guide, Ontario Domestic Assault Risk Assessment, Danger Assessment). Results indicate that these tools are most commonly ordered by the judge/court, are often used in conjunction with other measures, are rarely challenged, and are even more rarely successfully challenged.