ABSTRACT
In 2006 Scotland introduced a new system for the assessment and sentencing of violent and sexual offenders considered to pose an ongoing risk of serious harm to others (see also the chapters by Lindsay Thomson, and by Innes Fyfe and Yvonne Gailey in this volume). Following conviction, such offenders are placed on a risk assessment order (RAO), and are assessed by an accredited expert while in custody on remand awaiting sentence. The expert’s role is to assess the ongoing risk of serious harm using an assessment method that follows national standards and guidance. The risk assessment report produced through this process is submitted to the High Court, which then decides whether the legal criteria are met for the imposition of an order for lifelong restriction (OLR). An offender given an OLR will be subject to risk management, both in institutional and community settings, indefinitely.
