ABSTRACT
The term structured professional judgement (SPJ) refers to the discretionary application of evidence-based clinical guidelines for understanding complex problems in order to influence their comprehensive, positive and ongoing or continuous management. This chapter focuses on SPJ, that is, on the application of discretionary clinical guidelines that support the understanding and real time management of the threat of harmful behaviour in the clients of mental health, correctional and law enforcement services. This is because SPJ, more than any other approach to evaluating risk, incorporates both empirical and professional evidence about harmful behaviour, supports transparent and professionally accountable practice and guides pragmatic risk management in the services that endeavour to work collaboratively with their users. In practice, the SPJ approach is presented in the form of a manual containing guidance on navigating each step of the process of conceptualising, understanding and managing risk, where evidence of decision making at each step is recorded on a worksheet.
