Violence risk assessment does not occur in a vacuum. As forensic psychologists, we practice within a framework shaped by constitutional law, civil commitment statutes, evidentiary standards, and evolving judicial interpretations of dangerousness and violence risk prediction. For forensic psychologists specializing in violence risk assessment, understanding case law is not optional. It is foundational to competent, defensible practice.
Risk assessment tools, structured professional judgment frameworks, and empirical research guide our assessment of violence risk. Case law determines how those assessments may be used, challenged, constrained, or rejected. As forensic psychologists, we must integrate legal doctrine into our assessment decision-making and clinical reasoning; not by becoming legal advocates, but by ensuring our evaluations align with constitutional standards and judicial expectations.