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Abstract: 

While practitioners and researchers alike have viewed risk assessment as an important goal, there are some limitations to that approach. Chief among them is creating undue optimism that we can do one-time risk assessment. Rather, we ought to devote our resources to increasing victim safety. The authors of this article offer guidance on where they think risk-assessment research and practice should move. They argue that the field should move toward an empowerment approach of risk management rather than focus on simply risk assessment, which does little to keep women safe. Empowerment will increase women’s sense of strength and give them control over decision making. The authors review various risk-assessment instruments and describe how to implement an empowerment approach into practice.

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Affiliations:  1: George Mason University Department of Psychology; 2: Boston College Department of Psychology.