Assessing violence risk with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander offenders: considerations for forensic practice

Forensic professionals and courts have frequently expressed concern about the susceptibility of contemporary risk assessment tools to cultural bias. Furthermore, progress in the development of valid methods of assessment for offenders who identify from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural backgrounds has been slow. This paper considers how cultural perspectives on risk are essential to the development of assessment methods that have greater validity and acceptance by both courts and the community. This will involve considering the social, cultural and political determinants of risk in each cultural group and the identification of those risk factors that are most relevant to forensic decision-making.