Spotlight on Prisons

The number of individuals incarcerated in prisons across Europe for violent extremism and terrorist-related offences – including both those convicted of domestic terrorism and returned foreign terrorist fighters – has increased in recent years. The management and rehabilitation of these individuals both during incarceration and after release is therefore one of the biggest P/ CVE challenges facing EU Member States today.

This work is both complex, has multiple challenges and requires multi-stakeholder cooperation. The disengagement and rehabilitation of violent extremists within prisons is of primary concern. Meanwhile prisons face a number of related challenges, including the radicalisation of prisoners detained for nonterrorist related offences, even cases of radicalisation of prison staff, and the handling of female prisoners