Extremist violence risk assessment: current developments, future challenges

Since 2007 John Flockton has worked with Corrective Services NSW as Clinical Director/Senior Specialist (Forensic) Psychologist at the High Risk Management Correctional Centre in Goulburn which houses extreme high security inmates including those convicted or remanded under Commonwealth and NSW anti-terrorism legislation.

He has been an invited presenter to local and international forums including the Canadian Centre of Intelligence & Security Studies at Carleton University Ottawa Canada and British Psychological Society Division of Forensic Psychology Conference in Cardiff Wales. His attendance at the Global Counterterrorism Forum sponsored ‘Closed Expert Meeting on the Role of Psychology in Rehabilitation and Reintegration of Violent Extremist Offenders’ in Abu Dhabi contributed to the development of ‘best practice’ guidelines applicable across multiple jurisdictions. John has worked as a development consultant and provided training in EV risk assessment through the DFAT funded capacity building project in Indonesia, and at regional security, intelligence and corrections conferences in the Philippines and Malaysia.

He is a co-author of the Violent Extremist Risk Assessment (VERA) -2 & 2R which is being used both in Australia and internationally. His interest now is in confronting the complex challenges in risk assessment and management with a changing ‘terrorist’ profile and the progression of the threat and reality of local and internationally inspired extremist violence.