Risk Assessment

Risk assessment is, most generally, the process of understanding hazards to minimize their negative consequences. Although there are many areas at the interface of psychology and law where risk assessment is involved, this chapter will focus on assessment of risk for violence, in view of its important place in the field and the considerable level of research activity in this domain. We will focus much of our comments on assessment of the risk of violence among people with mental disorders, given the frequency with which this group is the subject of clinical and research attention in psychology and law. The chapter is organized into three major areas: recent advances, current issues, and recommendations for the future