HomeFront

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(No Transcript)
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HomeFrontMission Statement

• To Reduce Domestic Violence in Calgary through
  Coordinated Community Action

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Why HomeFront

• Traditional system does not work for domestic
  violence victims
• Only criminal offence where the victim is likely
  to go home with the perpetrator
• Victim impact statements submitted only 6 of the
  time
• Its a crime against the state and an offense to
  the relationship
• Lengthy delays and adjournments play into the
  cycle of abuse
• High numbers of cases dropped / dismissed without
  any significant interventions being applied

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HOMEFRONT History

• 1990 Mayors Task Force Against Violence
• Community Forum with Dr. Stephen Toope Feb 7,
  1998
• October 29, 1999-Federal Funding Announced
• January 2000-Framework and Implementation
  Committee
• May 29, 2000 Domestic Violence Intake Court
  Opened
• May, 2004 Provincial Roundtable on Domestic
  Violence and Bullying.

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Goals

• To improve the safety and protection of victims
  of domestic violence.
• To provide specialized domestic violence training
  and education.
• To protect the welfare of children who live with
  or witness domestic violence.
• To connect perpetrators and victims of domestic
  violence to treatment and support.
• To reduce the recidivism of perpetrators of
  domestic violence.

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Funders

• Government of Canada
• National Crime Prevention Center
• Department of Justice
• Status of Women, Canada
• Government of Alberta
• Alberta Justice /Solicitor General
• Alberta Childrens Services
• Alberta Gaming
• Alberta Human ResourcesEmployment
• Alberta Mental Health Board
• Alberta Infrastructure

Community Calgary Initiatives Program United
Way of Calgary and Area The Calgary
Foundation Alberta Law Foundation Individual and
Private Foundations Action Committee Against
Violence Cathedral Church of the
Redeemer Selinger Golf Tourney City of Calgary
Corporate Nova Corporation First Energy Capital
Corporation Canadian Pacific Limited Canadian
Hunter Bennett, Jones, Verchere Felesky
Flynn Ogilvy Mather Calgary Petro Canada
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Domestic Violence

• Domestic abuse is the attempt, act or intent of
  someone within a relationship, where the
  relationship is characterized by intimacy,
  dependency or trust, to intimidate either by
  threat or by the use of physical force on another
  person or property. The purpose of the abuse is
  to control and/or exploit through neglect,
  intimidation, inducement of fear or by inflicting
  pain. Abusive behavior can take many forms
  including verbal, physical, sexual,
  psychological, emotional, spiritual, economic and
  the violation of rights. All forms of abusive
  behavior are ways in which one human being is
  trying to have control and/or exploit or have
  power over another.
• The Calgary Domestic Violence Committee

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Calgary Statistics

• CPS responded to approximately 1100 domestic
  related calls per month in 2003
• 6 of 15 Calgary murders domestic related 2001
• Offenders represent 30 of probation case load
• CPS report 50-75 of incidents alcohol or other
  substance use was noted
• Children were noted as present in approximately
  50 of all CPS calls

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Domestic Violence First Appearance Court

• Specialized Court dealing only with Adult
  Domestic Violence related offences
• Specialized Staffing
• 2 Crown
• 2 Court Probation officers
• Domestic Conflict Unit Police Officer
• 4 Domestic Court Case Workers
• Focus on rehabilitative sentencing for
  appropriate cases
• Safety of all persons strongly considered

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Domestic Court Case Workers

• 107 cases per week
• Support Victims through docket court (just
  expanded include trial court worker)
• Provide linkages through out Justice system
• Do the necessary hand holding
• Provide daily court updates
• Provide voice to the victim
• Follow up with external referrals

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Domestic Conflict UnitCalgary Police Service

• Specialized unit
• Established in 1997
• 10 investigators and 1 Sergeant
• Review all domestic violence related reports
• Identify high risk or chronic files
• Liaise with field personnel
• Conduct risk assessment on each file
• Support the court
• Quick investigations I.e. claims of residency or
  employment

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Specialized Probation Officers

• Domestic violence focused caseloads
• Focus on offender accountability and victim
  safety
• Guidelines for efficient breaches
• Increased awareness of and communication with
  treatment and support agencies
• Partner Support Program

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Court Probation Officers

• Provide prior probation history to Crown
• Make initial contact with perpetrators in court
• Provide referrals and recommendations regarding
  appropriate treatment agencies and /or conditions
• Ensure offender reports to treatment within 48hrs
  of sentencing

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Specialized Crown

• 2 Crown Prosecutors
• Alternate days
• Case load solely Domestic Violence files
• Use Court Team as consultants to support their
  prosecutorial decisions
• Fully prepared for each file
• Heavy docket days will tag team one meets with
  counsel while other runs court

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Research
Compare outcomes for victims, accused and
children

• HomeFront Sample
• Domestic Violence Docket Court
• N2000

• Baseline Sample
• Calgarys Docket Courts
• N2000

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Results Victim involvement improved

• 96 of victims contacted prior to disposition
• 71 of all victims contacted
• 82.7 of stakeholders felt support was a success
• Victims voices heard

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Results Recidivism rate down 2/3
HomeFront Sample 12
Baseline Sample 34
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Results Quicker through courts
HomeFront Sample

• Baseline Sample

67.5 days
37.2 days
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Results Quicker access to treatment
HomeFront Sample

• Baseline Sample

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Demographics

• 84 percent of accused male, 82 victims female
• Majority of offenders and victims between 25 and
  44 years of age
• 31 accused completed high school,27 victims
  completed high school 12.7 accused completed
  university degree, 19 of victims
• 53 of accused, 48 of victims employed full
  time, 27 19 unemployed
• 23 of accused non-white/ non-European origins,
  21 Victims
• 11 Aboriginal

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Situation Factors

• Spousal abuse majority of cases (78)
• Alcohol/ substance use were factor in 80, 76
  factor solely for the accused
• Weapon used or threatened in 13
• 56 of accused had prior convictions
• Dual/cross charge present in 10 of cases
• Most frequent charges 80 Common Assault,
  Uttering Threats (20), Breach of
  Recognizance/Failure to Comply (15), Assault
  with a Weapon (11)

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Case Processing Variables

• 57 of accused appeared within 2 weeks of offence
• 60 of cases resolved within 2 weeks of first
  appearance
• Trials, out of custody, booked on average 6-8
  months ahead
• 65 resolved within 2 adjournments

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Resolutions, Dispositions, Conditions

• 35 resolved via Peace Bond, 36 pled not guilty,
  24 pled guilty
• Common dispositions supervised probation (29),
  withdrawn (26), suspended sentence (18),
  incarceration (14)
• Conditions DV Treatment (77), Alcohol/
  substance treatment (52), Abstain (37), No
  contact (31)

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DEMOGRAPHICS - Gender
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DEMOGRAPHICSEmployment
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DEMOGRAPHICS Education
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DEMOGRAPHICSAge
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DEMOGRAPHICSEthnic Background
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DEMOGRAPHICS
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RESULTS THE INCIDENT
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RESULTS THE INCIDENT
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Domestic Violence Trial Court
34 of the accused pled not guilty and proceed to
trial

• Trial Court
• 36 dismissed by Judge
• 12 victims recant

• Domestic Violence Docket Court
• 1 dismissed by Judge
• 6 of victims recant

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RESULTS COURT RESOLUTIONS
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RESULTS COURT RESOLUTIONS
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Direct Cost Savings Criminal Justice System
Includes Police, Prosecution, Judiciary,
Corrections
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RESULTS RECIDIVISM
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Treatment
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Treatment Providers

• 2 agencies Calgary Counseling Center, Sheriff
  King Family Violence Prevention Center
• 14-18 weeks of group treatment (CCC supplements
  1-4 individual sessions)
• Cognitive behavioral / Psycho education
  approach to treatment
• Male Female facilitation teams, 8-14 members in a
  group
• No Wait lists
• Approximately 1000 / offender to complete group
  Tx
• Approximately 480 000 / year to run mandated
  programs

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Effectiveness of Domestic Violence Treatment

• Dr. Kathleen Cairns

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Status Summary

• Project began in February 2002
• Focus on
• a) Assessment to support appropriate referral
  and
• b) Treatment effectiveness.
• Total assessed sample of 305 men
• Total treatment completion sample 131 men.

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Treatment Effectiveness New Domestic Violence
Charges

• Early results are influenced by short length of
  time since treatment (mean of 6 months)
• Non-completers recidivism rate is 28.7
• Treatment completers recidivism rate is 7.6

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RESULTS TREATMENT

• Over 80 of the accused made contact with the
  treatment agency within one month of resolution
• Accused who delayed linkages with treatment, who
  did not show or dropped out of treatment were at
  a greater risk for re-offence

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RESULTS TREATMENT ATTRITION RECIDIVISM
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Treatment Effectiveness Personality Assessment
Inventory

• Few PAI completers were low risk
• At post-treatment, the completer group had
  significant reductions in
• Alcohol problems (still gt60T for 25)
• Aggression
• Anxiety
• Borderline features
• Depression
• Stress

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Treatment EffectivenessTreatment Readiness

• 50 of treatment completers reach Low Relapse
  stage profile (URICA- DV)
• 21.5 of completers had pre-contemplation
  profiles at post-test, suggesting failure to
  accept responsibility for behavior.

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Treatment Effectiveness PAS Pre to
Post-Treatment Change

• SARA Pre-test Post-test
• Low risk 14.6 11.5
• Medium 18.8 13.9
• High 25.2 15.9
• clinical cut-off for PAS is 18

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Characteristics of High Risk Group

• Younger - 80 under 35
• More likely to plead not guilty
• Less educated - 49 did not complete high school
  
• Larger proportion unemployed
• Lower treatment readiness
• More PAI scales above 60T
• More have previous criminal history and
• Take longer to enter or complete tx

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Learnings From Sample Attrition

• Changes to process needed to
• assist with early identification of higher risk
  offenders
• provide closer supervision to those most likely
  to breach, including judicial review
• ensure timely service of warrants
• Ensure rapid treatment entry and timely treatment
  completion and
• Provide specialized trial court.

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Recommendations

• Trial cases should be heard in a specialized
  court (reduce withdrawals, improve retention of
  higher risk offenders, improve rate of referral
  to treatment)
• Since a number of offenders in treatment or
  leaving treatment still show problematic use of
  alcohol, it is particularly important that the
  work of HomeFront be coordinated with any new
  drug court established in Calgary

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Recommendations

• The frequency of alcohol abuse problems suggests
  that coordination of mental health and addictions
  treatment requires particular attention to ensure
  integration and continuity
• Add drug and alcohol testing as a component of
  domestic violence treatment for those with
  abstention conditions and
• Treatment programs should place additional
  emphasis on verbal abuse.

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Conclusions

• Significantly lower recidivism than reported for
  similar models (30-70) and pre court 32 why
• Communication and information sharing within and
  between systems
• Speed of process (14 days of offence, 2
  adjournments)
• Combination of sanctions (arrest, prosecution,
  treatment)
• Follow up and supervision (probation, treatment,
  partner support program)

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What does this mean

• Approximately, 1056 perpetrators will not
  re-offend
• Approximately, 2224 victims and children will
  have broken the cycle of domestic violence
• 2.4 million cost savings in Calgary for Alberta
  justice
• Calgary is a safer, healthier community