Threat assessment

This article is about the practice in criminal psychology, schools, and international security. For system weaknesses, see Vulnerability assessment. For general hazards, see Risk assessment.

Threat assessment is the practice of determining the credibility and seriousness of a potential threat, as well as the probability that the threat will become a reality.[1][2] Threat assessment is separate to the more established practice of violence-risk assessment, which attempts to predict an individual's general capacity and tendency to react to situations violently. Instead, threat assessment aims to interrupt people on a pathway to commit "predatory or instrumental violence, the type of behavior associated with targeted attacks," according to J. Reid Meloy, PhD, co-editor of the International Handbook of Threat Assessment.[3] "Predatory and affective violence are largely distinctive modes of violence."[4]

Threat assessments are commonly conducted by government agencies such as FBI[5] and CIA on a national security scale. However, many private companies can also offer threat assessment capabilities targeted towards the needs of individuals and businesses.[6]

  1. ^ "Threat Assessment: Predicting and Preventing School Violence". National Association of School Psychologists. Retrieved 16 October 2014.
  2. ^ "NATIONAL THREAT ASSESSMENT CENTER". United States Secret Service. Archived from the original on 3 December 2013. Retrieved 16 October 2014.
  3. ^ International handbook of threat assessment. Meloy, J. Reid., Hoffmann, Jens, 1968-. Oxford. 2014. ISBN 9780199924554. OCLC 855779221.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) CS1 maint: others (link)
  4. ^ "Threat assessment in action". www.apa.org. Retrieved 2018-03-17.
  5. ^ "Making Prevention a Reality: Identifying, Assessing, and Managing the Threat of Targeted Attacks". Federal Bureau of Investigation. Retrieved 2022-10-07.
  6. ^ "What is a Threat Assessment | Mindstate Psychology - Australia's Private Threat Assessment Experts". www.mindstatepsychology.com.au. Retrieved 2022-10-07.