The primary goal of the threat assessment and management process is to determine if a person of concern poses a threat of violence – whether to others, to themselves, or possibly to both self and others. In cases where the team’s assessment is that the person of concern does pose a threat of violence, the goal of the threat assessment and management process at that point is to implement a strategy to reduce the threat that is posed.

Threat assessment and management is not an adversarial process and is most effective when it is not framed or approached as adversarial. Many persons of concern are seeking to be heard and understood in their grievances. While the behavior they engage in to try to address a grievance may be inappropriate or threatening (and needs to be addressed), their grievances may be legitimate or may help a team to identify environmental or systemic issues (such as bullying and harassment) that are fueling those grievances. Threat assessment identifies the concerns and underlying factors that are causing or contributing to the troubling situation, ways to address those factors and concerns, intervene if necessary, and improve the overall safety of people and the situation.