Robin Tuddenham critiques recent trends in risk assessment practice, arguing that the objective of achieving 'defensible' (as opposed to 'defensive') decisions has, to all intents and purposes, failed. He proposes that probation practice must now embrace a more dynamic notion of risk assessment, which has at its centre the concept of 'reflexivity', and sets out the components of such an approach.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Adams, J. (1995) Risk. London: University College Press.
2.
Association of Chief Officers of Probation ( 1994) Guidance on the Management of Risk and Public Protection Position Statement. Wakefield: ACOP.
3.
Association of Chief Officers of Probation ( 1999) Managing Dangerous People with Severe Personality Disorders . Wakefield: ACOP.
4.
Beaumont, B. (2000) 'Assessing Risk in Work with Offenders', in Parsloe, P., Risk Assessment in Social Care and Social Work. London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers.
5.
Beck, U. (1992) Risk Society. London: Sage.
6.
Bhui, H.S. (1999) 'Race, Racism and Risk Assessment: Linking Theory to Practice with Black Mentally Disordered Offenders', in Probation Journal46 (3), pp.171-181.
7.
Carson, D. (1996) 'Risking Legal Repercussions', in Kemshall, H. and Pritchard, J. (eds), Good Practice in Risk Assessment and Risk Management 1. London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers .
8.
Cavadino, P. and Dignan, J. (2000) Criminal Justice 2000. Winchester : Waterside Press.
9.
Chapman, T. and Hough, M. (1999) Evidence Based Practice. London : Home Office.
10.
Daley, D. and Lane, R. (1999) 'Actuarially Based On-line Risk Assessment', in Probation Journal46 (3), pp.164-170.
11.
Davis, J. (2000) Pilot Audit of Risk Management Meetings - Inner and Greater London Area. Unpublished Paper.
12.
Finkelhor, D. (1984) Child Sexual Abuse. New York : Free Press
13.
Freud, S. (1914) On the History of the Psychoanalytic Movement (Standard Edition Vol. 14). London: Hogarth Press.
14.
Giddens, A. (1991) Modernity and Self-Identity. Oxford: Polity Press.
15.
Giddens, A. (1999) Runaway World. LondonProfile Books.
16.
Hedderman, C. (1999) 'Extended Supervision for Sex Offenders', in The Effectiveness of Community Sentences, Home Office Research Bulletin . London: Home Office.
17.
Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Probation (HMIP) .( 1995) Dealing with Dangerous People: The Probation Service and Public Protection, Thematic Inspection. London: Home Office.
18.
Home Office Probation Circular 1997/36 Serious Incident Reporting for Offenders Subject to Probation Supervision.
19.
Home Office Probation Unit (1998) Management & Assessment of Risk in the Probation Service. London: Home Office.
20.
Home Office and Department of Health (1999 ) Managing Dangerous People with Severe Personality Disorder . London: HMSO.
21.
Home Office (2000) National Standards for Supervision in the Community. London: HMSO.
22.
Hood, R. and Shute, S. (2000) The Parole System at Work: a Study of Risk-based Decision-making. London: Home Office .
23.
Kemshall, H. (1996) 'Risk Assessment: Fuzzy Thinking or Decisions in Action?' in Probation Journal43 (1), pp.2-7.
24.
Kemshall, H. (1998a) 'Defensive Decisions for Risk: or It's the Doers Wot Get the Blame', in Probation Journal98 (2) pp.67-72.
25.
Kemshall, H. (1998b) Risk in Probation Practice. Aldershot: Ashgate Press.
26.
Littlewood, R. (1992) 'Towards an Intercultural Therapy', in Kareem, J. and Littlewood, R. (eds) Intercultural Therapy. Oxford : Blackwell Science.
27.
MacDonald, K. and MacDonald, G. (2000) 'Perceptions of Risk', in Parsloe, P.Risk Assessment in Social Work and Social Care . London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers .
28.
Milner, J. and Campbell, J. (1995) 'Prediction Issues for Practitioners', in Campbell, J. Assessing Dangerousness. London : Sage.
29.
Monahan, J. (1981) The Clinical Prediction of Violence. Beverley Hills: Sage.
30.
Neary, M. and Colombo, A. (1999) "'Square Roots and Algebra': Understanding Perceptions of Combined Risk/Needs Assessment Measures", in Probation Journal98 (4), pp.213-219.
31.
Pan-London Probation Services (1999) Pan-London Public Protection Policy. Assessment and Management of Risk of Harm.
32.
Parton, N. (1986) 'The Beckford Report: A Critical Appraisal', in British Journal of Social Work16 (5), pp.531-556.
33.
Prins, H. (1991) 'Dangerous People or Dangerous Situations? Some Further Thoughts', in Medicine, Science and Law31 (1), pp.25-37.
34.
Prins, H. (1999) Will They Do It Again?London : Routledge.
35.
Reith, M. (1998) Community Care *Tragedies. Birmingham: Venture Press.
36.
Salter, A. (1988) Treating Child Sex Offenders and Victims. London: Sage.
37.
Schon, S. (1983) The Reflective Practitioner: How Professionals Think in Action. New York: Basic Books.
38.
Tarasoff versus Regents of the University of California (1976) 131, Cal. Rptr. 14, 551 P2d 334.
39.
Walker, N. (1991) 'Dangerous Mistakes', in British Journal of Psychiatry158, pp.752-757.
40.
Walker, N. (ed) (1996) Dangerous People. London: Blackstone Press .
41.
Wolf, S. (1984) 'A Multi-factor Model of Deviant Sexuality', in Victimology: An International Journal10, pp.359-374.
42.
Wynne, B. (1992) 'Risk and Social Learning: Reification to Engagement ', in Krimsky, S. (ed) Social Theories of Risk. Westport. USA: Prager Press.
