ABSTRACT
Whilst individuals with autism represent a diverse and relatively small proportion of the offender population, they present with difficulties and needs different from other offender groups (Murphy, 2010a; Woodbury-Smith & Dein, 2014; Higgs & Carter, 2015). A fundamental part of the care of individuals with autism who have or are at risk of offending is the assessment, formulation and management of problematic behaviour; whether that be inappropriate sexual conduct, harassment, fire setting, acting on extremist beliefs or interpersonal violence. Risk refers to a hazard that is incompletely understood and whose occurrence can only be forecast with uncertainty. Risk is also multi-faceted; including the specific behaviour, frequency and seriousness, as well as the specific circumstances of an individual, their motivation and previous experiences. Whilst actual behaviours are important, the emphasis of risk assessments should be on developing a formulation of why an individual chose to engage in harmful behaviour, and identifying all factors that may have influenced that decision (Hart, 2001). A risk assessment should therefore make evidence based, informed, and transparent decisions to guide an individual’s risk management.
