on Risk Society & 'risk-management': Contemporary society is organized around mitigating/dealing with 'risk' - not that society is increasingly risky. It means most of the things we are implementing are pre-emptively focused on predicting potential harms in the future. 1/5

In the past, policies and programs were technically focused on improving and making things better, whereas now they are focused on avoiding "bad" things from happening. This is particularly the case when it comes to conflict, violence and social harm in communities. 2/5

The overwhelming anxieties & fears people feel about real issues like climate change, surveillance & various systems of oppression, are shifted in to a focus on looking at issues like 'crime' & 'criminal involvement' in a very individualized way. 3/5

'Risk-assessment tools' end up being a way to identify/control the people and actions deemed 'risky' or ' bad'. But these assessment tools are not created in a vacuums & are informed by the same biases and world-views the underly systems of oppression (racist, classist etc).4/5

So.... if you're running a program/initiative/service under this model/logic, and are hoping to address underlying social issues and large structural issues- It will not work. The tools are flawed. 'Risks' are unaddressed needs. People aren't "risky", we've just failed them.5/5