Domestic Violence Lethality Assessment Screening: Examining the Influence of Offender Race

The purpose of this study is to determine whether the prevalent racialized patterns in the criminal justice system are present in domestic violence lethality assessments. On the basis of previous evidence that the criminal justice system practices a racialized pattern that disadvantages people of color, this study tests the hypothesis that non-white domestic violence offenders have a greater risk of being accepted for monitoring by the High Risk Response Team than white offenders. To test the hypothesis, data were collected through the researcher’s volunteer position at a non-profit organization, and from relevant law enforcement agencies. Findings indicate that non-white offenders have a greater chance of being accepted for High Risk Team monitoring than white offenders, although the correlation is not statistically significant. When controlling for criminal history, this relationship is strengthened, which leads to the conclusion that the association between non-white races and high-risk monitoring is not due to criminogenic factors