Conflicting knowledges on risk: the case of risk knowledge in the probation service

Risk is a key feature of contemporary life, within both the professional an d private spheres. This paper begins with a contextualisation of current ri sk concerns in the Probation Service within the broader concerns of the 'ri sk society', and presents the differing knowledge constructions of risk uti lised by frontline workers and by central policy-makers. The article conclu des by examining the impact of competing epistemologies of risk on the prof essional experience of frontline workers, and the implications for the impl ementation of risk policies.