Audio recording-enabled domestic abuse alarms and perpetrator deterrence messages: A pilot randomised controlled trial

• In Event: WCCJ Panel 8 – Measurement and Technology in Domestic Abuse

Abstract

Audio recording-enabled domestic abuse alarms can collect evidence of domestic abuse and automatically upload it to police systems to be used as evidence in prosecutions. The technology combines situational police response with increased potential for legal consequences. However, the deterrent mechanism is only realistic if a potential perpetrator is aware of the technology; achieving this can be difficult if perpetrators do not engage with police or legal proceedings. At present, the deterrent contribution of these devices is unknown nor is it known if these devices are more effective than routine domestic abuse alarms.

Using a pre-registered study design, we piloted a randomised controlled trial comparing the proportion of breaches of Domestic Violence Protection Orders (DVPOs) in two groups. All victims were offered the alarm and perpetrators were randomly allocated to (1) be notified (in-person in court, phone call, text message) about the offer of the alarm and its potential to be used for victimless prosecution in the event of a breach of the order or (2) not receive any information about the alarm. We also sought to describe patterns of victim enthusiasm for this technology, to identify opportunities to describe the alarms to abusers and to determine effective methods for randomising delivery of this intervention.

Less than half of all victims supported a DVPO being put in place and 8% of victims accepted the offer of an alarm from police. Over 90% of DVPO applications were granted but only 20% of perpetrators were available in court to receive the letter directly. The proportion of DVPO breaches was higher in the combined alarm and letter condition, but the difference was not statistically significant (Relative Risk 1.19, 0.60-2.34).

The implications of these findings for future evaluations and the use of recording-enabled in-home security devices to protect victims will be discussed.

Authors

• Iain Brennan, University of Hull

• Nicola O'Leary, University of Hull

• Jana Kujundzic, Northumbria University

• David Rowlands, University of Leeds