Software Seeks Profile of Domestic Abusers

Domestic batterers may meet their match in an experimental computer program designed to assess how dangerous the abusers really are to their victims.

Created by security expert Gavin de Becker, the software known as Mosaic-20 is getting a tryout by in the Carson substation of the Los Angeles County sheriff’s office. The program produces a behavioral profile of a domestic violence defendant based on a 48-question interview with the victim.

The questions probe the relationship of the couple and the behavior of the batterer in every aspect from romance and family to job performance and substance abuse.

The program compares the profile with thousands of others in its database and gives a threat ranking between 1 and 10; a score of 10 translates to very dangerous, even likely to kill.

Although a growing number of law enforcement officials praise the program for its potential to keep dangerous abusers away from victims, defense attorneys question Mosaic’s fairness and accuracy.

“Can it be relied upon? Can the rights of the defendants not be jeopardized?” asks Winston Peters, a Los Angeles public defender.

He acknowledged that he had not heard of the program, but added that the justice system is entering a “slippery slope when there is a scientific attempt at quantifying the level of dangerousness of a person, and it raises serious questions about due process.”

“Many people will tell you we can’t predict human behavior. We say that’s not true,” said Bob Martin, vice president of de Becker’s Mosaic division.

Earlier versions of Mosaic designed to assess the threat of stalkers to public figures are in use by the U.S. Department of Justice, the Central Intelligence Agency, the Defense Intelligence Agency and some universities and businesses for potential workplace violence perpetrators.

The Carson station is the first law enforcement office in the nation to apply Mosaic in domestic violence cases. A team of three specially trained detectives began using the program last October.

The detectives say Mosaic quantifies what before could only be described with opinions. They hope for widespread usage in the future, giving every level of the justice system, from detectives to judges, a common language.

“Our opinions are supported by this system,” said Det. Jacques H. Nadeau. “The bigger it gets, the more powerful it’s going to be to us.”

Although it was designed to save time for the resource-stretched justice system, detectives say the interview takes them about one to 1 1/2 hours--longer than their previous questioning sessions.

Martin said the time savings will come when all levels of the system are using it. For example, when the judge asks: “What is this defendant’s Mosaic?,” a concise, objective answer will replace a lengthy, behavioral interpretation by investigators.

Ultimately, the high-tech program will assist detectives and prosecutors in prioritizing cases and judges in setting bond and sentencing, Martin added.