Domestic Homicide Reviews: evidence briefing

Summary

This evidence briefing has been prepared to inform the initial stage of thinking around the development of a Domestic Homicide Review (DHR) model for Scotland.

A DHR is a multi-agency review that aims to identify trends and patterns, reduce domestic homicides, improve agencies' responses to domestic abuse and, in some cases, give a voice to victims and their families.

The DHR model of 17 jurisdictions (across seven countries) was considered for this briefing. While the overall aim and approach is very similar across jurisdictions, there is variation in the scope and implementation of DHRs, for example:

• Legislation and governance of the process differ, with most jurisdictions having established specific legislation, but some establishing DHR under coronial mandate as part of the remit of an Ombudsman or as a pilot to review historical cases.
• While all jurisdictions include intimate partner homicide within case selection criteria, there is variation in the inclusion of family homicide, suicide, bystander or near deaths.
• Multi-agency panels can be established at jurisdictions level or at a local level, with some panels consisting of dedicated permanent teams, while others are established ad-hoc.
• There are different ways and levels of inclusion of family and friends of the victim (and perpetrator) in the DHR process.
• Reports can be written for each case, annually or biennially. Sometimes reporting is more ad hoc.

In-depth analysis of the DHR methodologies and data was not the focus of this briefing, but some clear similarities were found across jurisdictions, with a focus on building case chronologies, scoping out involvement of agencies and evaluating information sharing and collaboration. More critical gendered analysis of the overall system (and society) appears limited.

Important aspects to take into account when considering a Scottish DHR model include:

• Clarity of purpose and aim, and an appropriate process that can address these, for example a Theory of Change;
• Clarity of inclusion criteria and justifications for the case selection process;
• Clarity on the roles, responsibilities and oversight of the DHR;
• Consideration of including family (and friends) in the review process and what their contribution will look like, taking into account concerns around the family's experience of loss and the risk of further traumatisation.
• Establishment of a common and regularly collated data set, and systematic data collection and analysis, to enable the identification of developing trends and patterns;
• Clear recommendations targeted at individual and collective agency level, and inter-agency working/communication, with an agreed action plan and a body responsible for monitoring progress in response;
• An approach to evaluation of the DHR model and its outcomes, to understand its impact and allow improvements to be made.

Apart from domestic homicide reviews, there are other initiatives that do not include a multi-agency review, but instead gather systematic data on domestic homicides and identify trends, such as Homicide Monitors in Finland, Sweden and the Netherlands, and the 'delegation for victims' report in France.