EXTERNALLY FUNDED RESEARCH PROJECTS
Identifying attitudinal/personality typologies of offenders who use violence against intimate partners and family
Background
Many claims of causes of violence toward known victims derive from theory and reflect the mindset of those not engaged in this behaviour. This project aims to gain insights into attitudes and personality characteristics of, and from, those who use violence against known victims. This information can then be used in assessing risk in the many cases where criminal charges have not been raised or tested at a particular point in time.
Aim
My project intends to draw from psychological knowledge to understand offenders who use violence against known victims, as opposed to stranger victims. The aim is to first delineate violent offenders with stranger victims from known victims with regard to crime specifics and motivations. Further understanding will then be tested and surveyed to identify typologies of offenders drawing on personality characteristics and attitudes.
Methods
An initial database will be created from published judgements of violent offences across Australia over a five-year period. This will include information about the offender, the offence(s) and stated reasons for their offending.
Data analysis will test the findings against proposed criminological, psychological and sociological theories of violent behaviour.
A survey will then be created to measure the traits and attitudes identified and administered to the general public, those presenting for pre-sentence assessment, and participants in men's behaviour change programs.
Further data analysis will confirm and explore consistent typologies of those using violence against known victims.