Identifying first-time family violence perpetrators : the usefulness and utility of categorisations based on police offence records

Abstract

The benefits associated with focusing strategies and interventions on family violence offenders early in their offending careers are well established. Yet accurately identifying first-time family violence perpetrators is difficult because of the high under-reporting of family violence. This study involved the analysis of police narratives completed for first-time family violence perpetrators, as identified through police offence records to determine their accuracy in identifying first-time family violence offenders. The findings demonstrate that a reliance on the use of police offence record information in isolation may lead to many ‘false negatives’ and a failure to identify recidivist offenders who may reduce the effectiveness of tailored intervention programs. The use of multiple sources of data and better use of police narratives within offence records are recommended as ways to more accurately distinguish between first-time offenders and recidivist offenders.