Domestic Homicide Reviews: evidence briefing

7. Conclusion

Domestic Homicide Reviews are implemented in a range of ways across different jurisdictions, with variation in the number and type of cases that are reviewed, how review panels operate, and the way findings are reported.

Nevertheless, there are some common characteristics across jurisdictions, particularly in the aims and methods of the DHRs.

DHRs can provide insight into domestic homicides which are relevant to the prevention of new fatalities, mainly through focusing on improvement of service provision and collaboration across agencies. DHRs usually consider the victim's (and perpetrator's) story and construct a timeline to understand the events leading up to a domestic homicide.

When considering a DHR model for Scotland, academic reviews of the DHR process identified some useful lessons learned. Clarity of purpose, aim and process are important, including having clear inclusion criteria and justifications for the case selection process. Clarity on the roles, responsibilities and oversight of the DHR is important, especially if multiple (local) teams conduct reviews, to ensure consistency and a clear line of accountability. To enable the identification of trends and patterns a common data set and systematic data collection and analysis is recommended. Other aspects that warrant consideration are: the level of analysis and type of methodology, including taking a gendered and intersectional approach; confidentiality and privacy and how case information is shared and reported; and, resources and capacity of the team, including responsibility and budget for taking forward recommendations. Annex 3 gives an overview of recommendations Rowlands (2020a) formulated for improvement of the English and Welsh DHR process, which may be useful to consider in the Scottish context.

Some aspects of DHRs seem less developed, such as the inclusion of family and friends, although there are differences between jurisdictions. Overall, research underlines the importance of considering how the purpose of the DHR is reflected in the process. The articulation of a Theory of Change can help provide clarity about how and why a DHR is expected to work. Moreover, whilst all DHRs make recommendations to improve the system, there is less clarity in how these recommendations are followed-up. Monitoring and evaluation processes are important to ensure that DHRs fulfil their intended purpose. A better understanding of certain aspects of domestic homicides, for example suicide in a domestic abuse context and the impact of domestic abuse on children, can also further support and inform thinking about the DHR design.