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Trends & issues in crime and criminal justice
No. 281: Risk assessment by mental health professionals and the prevention of future violent behaviour
Bernadette McSherry
ISBN 0 642 53847 6 ; ISSN 0817-8542 ; CRC 18/00-01
July 2004
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Abstract
The concept of 'risk assessment' is of increasing relevance when dealing with the prevention of criminal behaviour. This risk can be examined from a number of viewpoints. In an earlier 'Trends and issues in crime and criminal justice' paper (no. 280), the risk of reoffending by Indigenous male violent and sexual offenders was examined. This paper looks at risk assessment from a mental health perspective. It discusses risk predictors for future violence; the use of risk assessment in sentencing and preventive detention decisions; and the current legal and ethical background to risk assessment, including the question of breaching patient confidentiality in the public interest.
This paper is taken from the report of research undertaken with the assistance of a grant from the Criminology Research Council.
