Social problems or conflicts are incrementally (re)defined as risks in the culture of control (Garland 2008). In this context social work seems to realign its orientation towards security as well as its identity and self-concept, particularly in the field of crime-control/-prevention and the juvenile welfare services. This Realignment is critically discussed as ‚preventive victim protection' (‚präventiver Opferschutz'; Kessl 2011). The following article is focusing this evolution on the one hand and its implications for society and professional identity on the other hand-including a closer look at the interests of social work itself.