A recently published report, authored by Monash University academics including Professor Kate Fitz-Gibbon, Professor JaneMaree Maher, Dr Jasmine McGowan, and Emeritus Professor Jude McCulloch, along with Professor Sandra Walklate from the University of Liverpool, reveals alarming statistics on intimate partner homicides.
Titled "Securing women’s lives: Examining system interactions and perpetrator risk in intimate femicide sentencing judgments over a decade in Australia," the report presents findings from the collection of over 250 intimate femicide sentencing judgments and the in-depth analyses of 235 of these. These judgments were used, in part, to identify potential points of intervention that might have provided an opportunity to prevent such killings. Sentencing judgments typically include narrative accounts from a judge, who describes how and where the crime took place as well as the circumstances that led to it.
Key findings from the study include:
- 71% of perpetrators had prior contact with at least two legal points before committing femicide.
- 10% were on bail or parole at the time of the crime.
- 65% had prior criminal convictions, with 34% having a previous conviction for domestic and family violence (DFV)-related incidents.
- 25% were previously listed as primary aggressors on civil orders.
- 14% had no prior legal system engagement, highlighting underreporting and risk assessment challenges.
The report underscores the need for better perpetrator accountability, dynamic risk assessment, and early intervention to prevent such tragedies.