Gendering dynamic risk: assessing and managing the maternal identities of women prisoners

Risk/need principles are internationally accepted as central to the classification and treatment of offenders, and the increasing emphasis on risk/need/ responsivity (RNR) over the past 15 years has reshaped dominant strategies of offender management. In fact, risk/need assessment is considered by many to be ‘the spinal column of the correctional system’ (Williamson 2000: 2) and ‘the cornerstone of good correctional/forensic practice. It is the engine of case planning, decision-making and rehabilitative measurement’ (Simourd 2002: 351). Practically, risk assessments are used to determine levels of custody, recidivism, risk of suicide or escape, and to classify prisoners for case management and treatment purposes.