ABSTRACT
Risk assessment and management have come to dominate the thinking of all criminal justice agencies and may be a reflection of living in a ‘risk society’. The rise of risk — and there can be uncertainty about the meaning of the term — has been gradual but it is now centre stage. There are consequences in this for politicians, organisations, practitioners and offenders. There are also consequences in terms of public expectation, cost-effective use of resources, scientific assessment tools, bias and ethical considerations within a risk-based criminal justice system. These aspects of risk frame and dominate debates within the criminal justice system.
