Citation

Karavias Y, Bandyopadhyay S, Christie C, Bradbury-Jones C, Taylor J, Kane E, Flowe HD. Front. Psychol. 2023; 14: e1063701.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2023, Frontiers Research Foundation)

DOI

10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1063701

PMID

36874872

PMCID

PMC9978512

Abstract

This study evaluated the impact and economic benefit of Cautioning and Relationship Abuse (CARA), an intervention which aims to reduce re-offending of first-time low-level domestic violence and abuse perpetrators. The analysis was based on two samples drawn from separate UK police force areas. CARA's impact was assessed using a matched sample of similar offenders from a time when CARA was not available. The matching was based on a host of offender and victim characteristics and machine learning methods were employed. The results show that the CARA intervention has a significant impact on the amount of recidivism but no significant reduction in the severity of the crimes. The benefit-cost ratio in both police force areas is greater than one and estimated to be 2.75 and 11.1, respectively, across the two police force areas. Thus, for each pound (£) invested in CARA, there is an economic benefit of 2.75-11.1 pounds, annually.

Language: en

Keywords

machine learning; intimate partner violence; batterer intervention program; Crime Harm Index; domestic violence and abuse; economic evaluation; evidence-based policing