APRAIS provides criminal justice personnel and advocates with an evidence-based tool and protocol to gather information which helps identify potential risk of severe re-assault, as well as lethal or near lethal, intimate partner violence & possible future threats to officers. APRAIS addresses the complexities of IPV and the need triage/identify dangerous cases.

APRAIS recognizes policing as a noble profession. When acting as community guardians officers can make a positive impact on victims and offenders. An APRAIS intervention helps improve our understanding of IPV cases. Once the scene is secure officers interact with the victim with empathy, compassion and understanding. Officers actively listen to victims and try to understand what they are saying. Importantly, officers treat victims as they would want their own family members treated by law enforcement. Law enforcement use of the APRAIS therefore breaks with “routine” response to repeat IPV calls, replacing them with humanistic yet safe and secure interventions that gather more information for criminal justice and allied professionals at the same time as recognizing the autonomy of victims.

It creates a standardized, evidence-based tool to inform criminal justice system decision making, educate legal actors and the public about intimate partner risk, and assist victims in assessing risk and engaging in protective actions. On December 13, 2017 the Arizona Supreme Court amended Rule 41 of the Arizona Rules of Criminal Procedure to create the APRAIS Form 4C. APRAIS is the only validated intimate partner risk assessment tool recommended for use by the Arizona Supreme Court. The Arizona Peace Officers Standards and Training Board (AZPOST) strongly supports the use of the APRAIS.

The Family Violence Center (FVC) at Arizona State University (ASU) and the Arizona Peace Officers’ Standards and Training Board (AZPOST) are working together on the implementation of the Arizona intimate Partner Risk Assessment Instrument System (APRAIS) tool and protocols. AZPOST assigned the FVC the role of lead training agency. 

Training conducted by the FVC law enforcement team within Arizona are AZPOST-sponsored and attending officers therefore qualified for continuing education credit.

APRAIS online learning modules are accredited by the International Association of Directors of Law Enforcement Standards and Training (IADLEST).

Our law enforcement training team provides full support to agencies throughout the process of adopting, implementing, and operationalizing the APRAIS risk tool. This support includes training of personnel both in-person and online,  field observation rides, policy development assistance, in-person and conference call debriefings, and all forms of TA support to agencies to ensure a successful transition to the APRAIS risk tool.

APRAIS training packages include: in-person training, online learning modules, and follow-up technical assistance. Packages vary from introductory level patrol training to more advanced train-the-trainer sessions. Depending on department and community need, and in accordance with our philosophy of community guardianship, we also offer more broad-based community trainings that include law enforcement, prosecutors, defense counsel, judges, and victim advocates; situating APRAIS deployment amidst a broader coordinated community response to IPV.