New research identifies opportunities to intervene before male violence escalates

New University of Calgary research reveals domestic violence crimes can be prevented based on patterns of police contact that happen year over year.  

Building on a groundbreaking study examining domestic violence (DV) charges in 2019, the new research examines four additional years of Calgary Police Service (CPS) data, confirming that these patterns are stable and identifiable over multiple years.

The analysis examined 3,846 men charged with DV against a female intimate partner over four consecutive years. Researchers found consistent trajectories in men’s interactions with police before a charge, pointing to opportunities to identify risk and intervene earlier to prevent violence from escalating. 

For decades, policy has largely focused on responding after violence occurs. This study challenges that assumption by identifying a remarkably pronounced pattern that precedes the majority of male-perpetrated DV crimes — and, with it, an opportunity to stop it before it starts.

“Before the First Charge: Using Police Data to Identify Opportunities for Domestic Violence Interventions,” from co-authors Prof. Lana Wells, Ken Fyie, Dr. Ron Kneebone and Rebecca Davidson, is the first-ever study to confirm these findings on prior police contact across four different years, between 2020 and 2023.

The study builds on earlier research that identified escalating police interactions among male perpetrators, trajectories of domestic violence and associated public costs. It is the fourth paper in a research series developed through a collaboration between Shift: The Project to End Domestic Violence at UCalgary’s Faculty of Social Work, the CPS and the School of Public Policy.

“Our initial research identified these early patterns. This new study tested whether they held up across four additional years of data, and we found that they did,” says Wells, BSW’96, MSW’97, Brenda Strafford Chair in the Prevention of Domestic Violence and lead author.

“The same trajectories appeared year over year, demonstrating that this is a stable phenomenon rather than a one-time observation, with implications for policy and practice to prevent domestic violence in Alberta and beyond.”

From isolated incidents to identifiable pathways

The study found that more than 60 per cent of men had some form of police contact before the charge that brought them into the study. For many, those contacts were not discrete events, but part of a clear pattern that intensified over time.

Among men who had previously interacted with police, the frequency of those interactions generally increased in the years leading up to a charge, with the sharpest increase occurring in the year immediately before the offence.

One of the most visible findings involved men who had previous non-criminal domestic encounters with police, but no criminal history. On average, these men had more than one domestic encounter with police in the year before their eventual charge.

“For me, the non-criminal domestic encounters really stand out,” says Wells. “These are moments when police have an opportunity to intervene before violence escalates. Alongside making a safety plan for the survivor, police can also develop an accountability or prevention plan for the person causing harm. This is an opportunity to intervene earlier and change the trajectory before the violence gets worse.”

The research also underscores what can be at stake when male violence escalates. Across the period studied, 73 per cent of incidents involved physical force, and 70 per cent resulted in injury to the victim. Children were present during or witnessed the violence in 42 per cent of incidents.

A new opportunity for prevention

The findings show that, for the majority of men who are charged with DV, a first criminal domestic violence charge is not an isolated event. Rather, it is usually preceded by a set of interactions with police and other public systems that develops and intensifies over time.

These patterns have important implications for how governments, police and communities address DV, according to Wells and her research team.

“The safest and most effective intervention is the one that prevents violence from happening in the first place,” says Wells. “Supporting women, children and families must always remain our highest priority. Our study shows that we have opportunities to improve outcomes for them by engaging men earlier, before violence escalates and more harm occurs.”

The study recommends that police take a more proactive role in prevention by developing accountability plans with men, identifying signs of escalating risk and working closely with community organizations to connect men with appropriate supports. It also calls on the Government of Alberta to fund and expand access to evidence-informed behaviour-change programs for men, so police have effective community-based services to refer them to.

From research to policy

The consistency of the findings strengthens the evidence that these patterns are not unique to a single cohort or point in time, providing a stronger foundation for prevention strategies focused on earlier intervention with men.

Wells points to the value of connecting police data with information from health, housing, justice and social services. “A more integrated understanding of men’s interactions with public systems could help identify earlier opportunities for intervention and provide a fuller picture of the factors that shape pathways toward violence,” she says.

The research also shows why prevention cannot rely on police data alone. Approximately 40 per cent of men had no recorded police contact before their DV charge, making other systems, services and community settings important places to identify opportunities for prevention.

“It is our hope that this research helps change funding and practice,” says Wells. “We need to invest in understanding and interrupting the pathways that lead to male violence, so we can intervene earlier and prevent harm before it happens.”