34.Subsections (1) and (2) require joint working arrangements to be put in place between the Scottish Ministers and local authorities in relation the assessment and management of the risks posed by custody and community prisoners. The Scottish Ministers and each local authority shall jointly assess whether an individual prisoner is likely to cause serious harm to members of the public if he or she were to be released on community licence on the expiry of the custody part of the sentence.
35.Subsection (4) defines the appropriate local authority as either the one in which the offender resided immediately prior to being sentenced or the one the offender intends to reside in upon beginning the community part of his or her sentence on licence. Subsection (5) provides that in the event of the two authorities being different they can agree between them which one should carry out the functions conferred on them under this section or section 31(4) (which also confers a function on the Scottish Ministers and local authorities to work together).