Offenders on judicial orders: Implications for evidence-based risk management in policing

Abstract

There is little known about individuals who serve judicial protective orders called Section 810.1 and 810.2 peace bonds. Many Canadian police services provide supervision of these individuals, who are deemed high risk for violence, yet little research has been done on community supervision by police. The current study profiles the characteristics of 45 adult supervisees who were serving 810.1 and 810.2 orders and supervised by a local police service. The findings indicate that a majority of these individuals have experienced childhood abuse and neglect, lack high school education, were exposed to parental alcoholism, and demonstrated evidence of mental health problems. Further, and perhaps less surprising, they had remarkable histories for criminal behaviour, in terms of frequency, severity, and antisocial behaviour. Most of the individuals had criminogenic risk factors and responsivity issues that required attention at the start of their supervision. This study highlights the high needs of individuals under judicial orders and provides insight into the level of resources needed to supervise them. Implications for training law enforcement in applying effective principles of rehabilitation and risk assessment are discussed.