Talking about risk-taking with potentially ‘problematic’ risk-takers: a study of preventive interactions under high uncertainty

Drawing upon examples in the realms of crime prevention and public health, this article discusses the interactions between agents involved in preventive strategies and people identified as likely to engage in ‘problematic’ risk-taking in areas where there are frequently high levels of uncertainty. Considering the substance of the interactions between risk assessors and/or risk managers and risk bearers provides ground for challenging common assumptions regarding the relevance of the persistent divide between ‘expert knowledge’ vs. ‘lay beliefs’ and to develop an alternative framework for analysing the judgements of the various stakeholders regarding uncertainty, namely: probabilistic, clinical and experiential knowledge of risky situations. In turn, analysing the extent to which these sources of knowledge are interrelated and used is indicative of the extent to which uncertainty is acknowledged – or denied – through prevention, once it has been turned into interactions that involve risk assessors/managers and risk-takers.