The risk assessment process the interventions and treatment commenced as a result of it and
the theory behind it are central to the administration of criminal justice programmes around
the world. Most youth and adult corrections departments routinely conduct risk assessments
which are then used to inform the nature and intensity of subsequent criminal justice
interventions.In this unique and important text a team of the world's leading researchers in
the field of criminal justice come together to provide a critique of this risk paradigm and to
provide practical guidance for professionals students and academics on how to move to a more
effective way of working with offenders.Divided into three sections the book provides coverage
of topics such as:- The development of risk assessment in criminal justice practice and its
advantages and disadvantages- The significance of risk factor research in understanding and
explaining juvenile delinquency - as well as the problems it creates- The argument that the
risk paradigm fails to accommodate diversity further disadvantaging women ethnic minorities
and other marginalized groups- The various ways in which real or imagined risk posed by
offenders has been regulated under the risk paradigm the powerful influence of media reporting
and ways of moving 'beyond risk' to support successful reintegration of offenders- Ways forward
for criminal justice interventions that do not rely on risk but focus rather on the vitally
important aspects of social context relationships and motivation.With strong links between
theory and practice Beyond the Risk Paradigm in Criminal Justice provides a fresh new
direction for criminal justice work.
