News

2 September 2015 New Member Appointed For Risk Management Authority

The Cabinet Secretary for Justice, Michael Matheson today announced the appointment of Katherine Russell as a Non-Executive Director of the Board of Risk Management Authority.

The Risk Management Authority is a Scottish public body, established in 2005 by the Criminal Justice (Scotland) Act 2003. Its functions relate to the risk assessment of offenders whose liberty presents a risk to the public at large and minimizing risk in respect of a small number of serious violent and sexual offenders who may be or have been sentenced to the Order for Lifelong Restriction.

Katherine Russell - Since qualifying, with Doctorate in Clinical Psychology from the University of Glasgow, Dr Russell has worked in maximum security, medium security, and community forensic services in Scotland. For the last 8 years she has been co-Lead of the NHS Lothian Sex Offender Liaison Service which is aligned to the development of MAPPA in Scotland. She has developed and demonstrated expertise in the risk assessment and management of high-risk offenders through both her clinical work in the NHS and her work as an Accredited Assessor for the Risk Management Authority. She routinely provides training, supervision, consultation, liaison and assessment to criminal justice agencies who are working with high-risk and complex offenders. Through a time-limited Scottish Government funded expansion of her service to work with violent as well as sex offenders, she has developed further expertise in working with violent offenders, particularly those who commit domestic violence and stalking offences. In recent years she has published book chapters and journal articles related to her work, with a particular focus on personality disorder, sex offending and risk.

This appointment will be for five years and will run from 1st August 2015 to 31st July 2020.

This appointment is part-time and attracts a remuneration of £5,880 for a time commitment of 2 to 3 days per month.

Katherine doesn’t hold any other ministerial appointments. This appointment is regulated by the Commissioner for Ethical Standards in Public Life in Scotland.

All appointments are made on merit and political activity plays no part in the selection process. However, in accordance with the original Nolan recommendations, there is a requirement for appointees’ political activity within the last five years (if there is any to be declared) to be made public. Katherine hasn’t undertaken any other activity in the last five years.