Criminal Justice and Behavior, Ahead of Print.
This study examined the psychometric, predictive, and dynamic properties of intimate partner violence (IPV) risk. The sample consisted of 88 men attending an outpatient IPV correctional program. The Ontario Domestic Assault Risk Assessment (ODARA) was rated at pretreatment using participant files. The Spousal Assault Risk Assessment–Version 3 (SARA-V3) was rated at pre- and posttreatment using collateral information (e.g., facilitator ratings, files) and participant questionnaires. Recidivism data were obtained from a court database with an average follow-up of 15 months. The SARA-V3 and ODARA demonstrated strong convergent validity and predicted violent and general recidivism with moderate to high accuracy; SARA-V3 posttreatment ratings incremented the ODARA in the prediction of recidivism, yet not vice versa. Noncompleters were higher risk and had higher recidivism rates. Changes on the SARA-V3’s Perpetrator Risk Factors domain were significantly associated with decreased recidivism in bivariate analyses and some change associations remained significant with stringent controls for risk. Implications for risk assessment/management, service planning, and future research are discussed.