Pilot course for the screening of subjects at Risk of Violent Radicalisation

Type of Organisation: NGO

This training practice aims to:

1. provide an overview of Islamic culture through lectures held by university professors;
2. increase staff awareness of violent extremism and signals of proselytism that can be detected in prison and probation settings by using specific indicators;
3. test the new list of indicators and the related procedures of screening inmates at risk of violent radicalisation
4. improve information-sharing among different prison and probation staff (penitentiary police, rehabilitation officers, social workers etc.) by coding and renewing the procedures.

The speakers, university professors and experts, were selected based on their knowledge of the topic. An agreement between the Penitentiary Administration and the University of Oriental Studies of Naples was signed to promote common actions on the knowledge of Islamic culture as this relates to the prison environment.

For training related to internal procedures and use of indicators, the speakers were selected among the special unit of penitentiary police staff in charge of the monitoring activity or the inmates at risk of violent radicalisation.

The training is focused mainly on the testing of the new list of indicators of violent radicalisation and on the deepening of knowledge of the Islamic culture.

The pilot course for prison staff included three days of classroom lessons, followed by five months of on-the-job training. The training for probation staff included three days of class lessons.

The pilot course involved some 180 prison employees and 250 probation staff.

Prison staff took a three-days-course followed by a five-month-long on-the-job training at the prison they work in. The impact of the training was assessed with regard the effectiveness of the use of the new list of indicators and the related procedures for screening.

Probation staff took a three-day course during which professionals discussed case studies and shared personal experiences.

The training course will be available on a dedicated session of the website of the Ministry of Justice.

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