ABSTRACT

The subject of this chapter is one of great ongoing discussion among all practitioners of violence assessment or violence risk assessment-and probably always will be. It incorporates many of the topics discussed throughout this book, such as what behaviors we should be looking for to provide accurate prognostications of future violent behavior. What other factors, such as mental illness, family support, organizational anxiety or dynamics, head injuries, employment, family history, etc. should be considered? If we consider these behaviors and factors, how should they be weighed to provide an assessment that heightens victim safety, while balancing the effect that a false positive finding might have on potential offender rights with the correct use of limited resources?