ABSTRACT
Mr Ash is a 35-year-old man from a very deprived background. He has a criminal history that was already lengthy at the time of his index offence and a family history of violence; he was exposed to violence from a very young age. Mr Ash is not an unusual man, nor is he in exceptional circumstances. His Majesty's Prison and Probation Service in England and Wales detains thousands of men – fewer women – who will and do struggle to embrace and demonstrate positive change in such a restricted setting. Assessing and managing violence risk in a person with a long history of violence and criminality requires attention to at least three broad practice principles. On accepting the Parole Board's referral of Mr Ash for an independent evaluation of his risk of harm, the practitioner may wish to start by generating several preliminary hypotheses about the nature of the case, to be tested during the work to follow.
