ABSTRACT

Most of the theoretical and empirical literature on violence risk to date has focused on the task of predicting who will behave violently. This chapter argues that at least two models of risk assessment may be applied to the varying legal decisions in which violence risk is a consideration: prediction and management. It focuses on forensic mental health assessment and the context of legal decision-making. The chapter discusses the relative importance to courts of understanding vs. prediction/control of individuals involved in litigation. The use of science to inform legal decision-making has been one of the most important goals for the field of law and psychology. The goal of providing legal decision-makers with mental health assessment that is relevant to the psychological constructs underlying various legal competencies has been an explicit part of the forensic assessment literature. Legal and mental health policy considerations could diverge according to whether the decision was being considered in a prediction or a management context.