The assessment of risk or dangerousness in the field of domestic violence research is relatively new, as is the increased demand for domestic violence services and the enhancement of responses to domestic violence in the medical field. The increasing demand for services has resulted in the need for validated tools to discern the urgency of domestic violence cases, allowing those most in need of services to receive immediate assistance. The increased flow of domestic violence cases into the criminal justice system also requires a system of risk assessment to ascertain those offenders in need of incarceration versus offenders amendable to other forms of punishment and rehabilitation. In response, programs and agencies dealing with domestic violence have cobbled together a variety of mechanisms to identify high-risk cases, including checklists and clinical interviews. Most often, however, practitioners still rely on their own experience and intuition in assessing domestic violence risk. The author presents research on the current approaches used to assess risk of violence and discusses the current state of science in the assessment of risk of intimate partner violence, which is typically delineated according to whether the focus is on assessing risk of re-assault or risk of lethality. The author also recalls her development of the Danger Assessment, an interview schedule for women dealing with domestic violence. Future research in this field should focus on the impact of domestic violence risk assessment on agency decisionmaking and on the victims’ perceptions and actions. References