🔴 How DASH Scores Are Often Misunderstood
The DASH (Domestic Abuse, Stalking and Honour-Based Violence) risk assessment is one of the most important tools used in domestic abuse cases — and one of the most misunderstood.
1️⃣ “The score is low, so the risk is low”
❌ False
DASH is not a points-based test where a low number equals safety.
- One single high-risk factor (e.g. strangulation, threats to kill, stalking, separation) can indicate severe danger
- Professional judgment matters as much as the tick boxes
- Some of the most lethal cases had few disclosures early on
👉 DASH measures known risk indicators, not everything happening behind closed doors.
2️⃣ “He’s calm and cooperative, so the DASH must be wrong”
❌ False
DASH assesses behaviour patterns, not personality or presentation.
- Calmness does not reduce risk
- Politeness does not equal safety
- Cooperation does not cancel coercive control
Many perpetrators who later killed their partners:
- Appeared calm
- Denied anger
- Were described as “reasonable” or “normal”
👉 Control and calm often go together.
3️⃣ “There’s no physical violence, so the risk is low”
❌ Dangerously false
DASH recognises that:
- Coercive control
- Stalking
- Threats
- Isolation
- Financial abuse
are strong predictors of serious harm, even without visible injuries.
In fact:
- Non-physical abuse can indicate greater planning and entitlement
- Psychological abuse often escalates after separation
👉 Lack of bruises ≠ lack of danger.
4️⃣ “If it were really serious, she would have said everything”
❌ False and unfair
Survivors often:
- Minimise harm to stay safe
- Fear consequences of disclosure
- Be traumatised, dissociated, or confused
- Protect children
- Have been conditioned not to speak
DASH is often completed:
- Under stress
- In unsafe environments
- Before trust is built
👉 DASH captures what can be safely disclosed at that moment, not the full story.
5️⃣ “The DASH is just subjective”
❌ Incorrect
DASH is built from:
- Domestic Homicide Reviews
- Evidence-based risk markers
- Patterns seen in thousands of cases
While professional judgment is involved, the tool itself is grounded in real-world lethality data, not opinion.
6️⃣ “Risk goes down once the relationship ends”
❌ Opposite of the truth
DASH explicitly recognises:
- Separation as a high-risk period
- Increased danger when control is challenged
- Retaliation, stalking, and punishment behaviours
Many serious assaults and murders happen:
- After leaving
- During court proceedings
- When contact is reduced
👉 Leaving does not end risk — it often increases it temporarily.
7️⃣ “If there’s no diagnosis, there’s no danger”
❌ False
DASH does not require:
- Mental illness
- Psychopathy
- Personality disorder
Abuse is a behavioural pattern, not a diagnosis.
Many perpetrators:
- Pass mental health evaluations
- Hold jobs
- Appear socially functional
- Never receive a label
👉 Danger is assessed by actions, not diagnoses.
🧠 What DASH Is Actually Designed to Do
DASH answers one question only:
Is this person at risk of serious harm or death?
It does not explain:
- Why the abuser behaves this way
- What label fits
- Whether the abuser “means it”
It flags risk so protection can happen early.
🕊️ What Survivors Need to Know
- A misunderstood DASH does not mean you’re wrong
- A low score does not mean you’re safe
- Your fear is data
- Escalation matters more than frequency
- Patterns matter more than incidents
And most importantly:
If professionals are minimising a DASH score because he “seems normal,” they are missing the point of the tool.
🌱 Final Truth
DASH exists because people died while others said:
- “He seemed calm”
- “There was no diagnosis”
- “There were no warning signs”
There were warning signs.
They just weren’t understood.
