Vurdering af vold i nære relationer: En undersøgelse af udviklingen i voldsforståelser i Spousal Assault Risk Assessment

Schou, Mette Bolin

4. semester

Kriminologi, Kandidat

2025

2025-06-02

This master's thesis examines the conceptualizations of violence embedded in the Spousal Assault Risk Assessment (SARA) and how these have evolved across subsequent versions. The aim is to provide in-depth knowledge of the SARA framework that may support decision-making regarding its implementation in practice, as well as encourage critical reflection on the tool and its implications in professional use. A theory-driven content analysis was conducted on the Canadian manuals for SARA-V2, B-SAFER, B-SAFER-2, and SARA-V3, along with their accompanying documents, as well as the Danish manuals for SARA:SV-2 and SARA-V3. The theoretical framework was inspired by Danneskiold-Samsøe et al.’s (2011) distinction between two conceptualizations of violence: violence as an expression of power versus violence as an expression of powerlessness. Based on this, three theoretical perspectives were selected: the psychodynamic perspective, the gender-focused structural perspective, and the evolutionary perspective. The analysis reveals that the SARA tools encompass a broad spectrum of violence perspectives. SARA-V2 primarily reflects a psychodynamic perspective where risk factors tend to individualize and pathologize the perpetrator. Nonetheless, elements of both the evolutionary and gender-focused structural perspectives are also present. However, the latter is often accompanied by gender-neutral terminology, which contrasts with a power-based conceptualization of violence. A clear development is observed in the revised versions. With B-SAFER, there is a notable shift toward the stronger gender-focused structural perspective. Intimate partner violence is explicitly recognized as gendered, and the inclusion of victim-related risk factors in B-SAFER-2 further reinforces this perspective. The most recent versions also demonstrate theoretical reflections by the authors regarding the relevance of risk factors, supporting a more structural understanding while simultaneously containing other perspectives. The Danish translations show limited development in terms of violence conceptualizations, although other linguistic and terminological differences may influence interpretation and application. This has implications for the tool’s status as evidence based. It is therefore essential that organizations and practitioners critically reflect on which understandings of violence they align with – and whether tools like SARA adequately capture these in practice.

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