As the afflicted families and defenders urge the action on the violence of the intimate couple after an increase in deaths in Nueva Scotia, many have talked about the importance of prevention.
Xylia Fraser, Chrysalis House refuge manager, a women’s shelter in Kentville, recently told CBC News that her team has seen an increase in cases they consider at high risk since 2020.
Chrysalis House staff uses a 20 -questions evaluation to measure the risk of violence facing a woman. Fraser says that the results of these evaluations have become more serious since the beginning of the pandemic.
“They are becoming much more severe and are reaching the attention of the police, the attention of victims’ services because [of] His severity, “he said.
The evaluation thats mentioned can predict the danger with a certain degree of certainty, with the hope that the families or the couples who are fighting can be identified early before the violence becomes mortal.
It was developed in 1986 by Jacquelyn Campbell, professor at the Johns Hopkins Nursing School in Baltimore.
It includes a verification list of 20 questions that are generally completed with the female victim, and evaluates their risk of being killed by the male fellow.
Some of the questions include points as if the male fellow has a weapon, if he is violent and constantly jealous, or if the victim has tried to commit suicide.
Immediate interventions for risk cases
For approximately two decades, the New Scotland police and the prosecutors of the crown have been using a tool called the risk assessment of domestic ontarium assault (Odara).
It is a verification list of 13 questions that evaluates the risk that a male criminal repeats an assault on your partner.
Odara was developed by a team led by Zoe Hilton, professor of psychiatry and research president at the Waypoint Center for Mental Health Care in Penetaguishene, Ontario.
It is intended to be used before an in -depth evaluation is possible, perhaps in a busy police station or emergency room. The idea is to obtain immediate interventions for the most risky cases.
“It means that interventions can begin, support can begin, surveillance can begin at a very early stage to identify a situation that involves domestic violence,” said Hilton.
The 13 questions include whether the victim was confined during the incident, if the defendant ever violated bond, probation, probation or an order without contact, or if the victim was pregnant during the attack.
The researchers found that almost three quarters of the men who obtained seven or more points committed another assault on their partner.
Hilton says that the investigation has also linked high scores of Odara with the potential of crimes against other people, as well as their partners.
High risk cases
All police agencies in Nueva Scotia use Odara, including RCMP. The Halifax Regional Police uses it for all calls for domestic violence, even those where no charge is presented.
According to a provincial spokesman, cases obtained by seven or more are marked as high risk.
That means agencies such as the police, transition houses and victims services will share information with each other and monitor the red flags as a violation of the conditions or a next judicial case.
To their discretion, agencies can also mark cases that obtain scores below seven as high risk.
A person does not have to be charged for the case to be designated at high risk.
Dolly Mosher, Victim Services Coordinator with the Halifax Regional Police, explained in a recent interview that also pays special attention to cases obtained by five or six.
“I assign them to a social worker because we feel he is a call to be high risk,” he said.
Mosher says that if the social workers of the Halifax police think that the woman could be in danger, they will try to evaluate that with Jacquelyn Campbell’s danger evaluation.
“And if we do a danger evaluation with her and is over 18 years old, we will classify it as high risk,” said Mosher.
Paiyton Pick’s boyfriend has been accused of second degree murder and fire caused by human life. His family wants more education in schools to recognize and prevent the violence of the intimate couple. Nicola Seguin has the story.
Police called more frequently before charges
Recent research at the University of Calgary adopted a different approach to see if violence could be predicted.
It was directed by Lana Wells, associate professor at the University’s Faculty of Social Work. She also sat on the panel of experts advising The 2022 Action Plan of Nueva Scotia to prevent domestic violence.
His team analyzed the information provided by the Calgary Police Service covered from 2009 to 2019.
“Much of the investigation in Canada around this area usually looks at the men who have been accused and … how to avoid recidivism or how to avoid happening again,” he said.
Wells said his team wanted to find predictors that could be used to prevent violence from intensifying charges.
Wells tracked 934 cases in which a position related to domestic violence was established.
In 73 percent of those cases, before the position was presented, the police were called to a home, sometimes by a different criminal position and sometimes, so it says a “meeting with domestic violence.”
“So what [domestic violence encounter] Media is that there was a call for conflicts, there is something that happens in that house, but maybe there was not enough to collect … at that time, “Wells said.
Only 27 percent of Wells studied cases had no police interactions.
Wells also discovered that these police interactions occurred more frequently before a domestic violence position.
“What did not happen was any types of resources or support for that family or for the perpetrator,” Wells said.
“That is what we are really trying to get attention: that we can and have opportunities to intervene before.”
A new investigation by Calgary discovered that in the last decade, almost 73 percent of men accused of domestic violence in the city had a previous history with the Calgary police service. Wells Wells, an associated professor at the Faculty of Social Work at the University of Calgary, directed the report. The turn is currently leading: the project to end domestic violence, a primary prevention research center focused on stopping violence before it begins.
Wells says he believes that this indicates the need for more resources, such as advice and education campaigns to support men and children to be in healthy relationships and learn to handle conflict and regulate emotions.
“It is critical because children model after men in their lives, and it is essential that men are teaching young men how to be in healthy relationships.”
Wells said that although his investigation was based on Calgary’s number, his Ontario research partners report similar findings, and believes they apply throughout Canada.
The Minister of New Scotland in charge of the Advisory Council on the state of women, Leah Martin, told CBC News that “there is always more work to do until it is a problem here,” but added that she is proud of the work of the work of the work of the job. The province is doing in this area, which includes programs to reach school -age children from grades 9 to 12.
“I feel that the change is happening and that encourages me,” he said.
A spokesman for the Province Department of Justice wrote to CBC News that the aid is available for victims of intimate couple violence, and said it is “important that men understand that there is support.”
You can find more information about those supports in nsdomesticviolence.caas well as through the help lines of women, men and genres who have staff 24 hours a day, and can be accessed by calling 211.
If you or someone you know are fighting, this is where to get help:
