Preventing radicalised and terrorist prisoners from reoffending or (re)engaging with extremist activities and networks after their release
Tuesday 16 March and Thursday 18 March 2021 (9.00-12.30). This online meeting will take place via WebEx.
For the joint RAN PRISONS, REHAB & POL meeting we are currently looking for suitable participants, matching the following profile:
- Prison staff working with radicalised or terrorist offenders and preferably experience with inmates reengaging in extremist activities.
- Rehabilitation, probation and intervention practitioners working with radicalised and terrorist offenders just before and after their release from prison.
- Police officers involved in rehabilitation work around radicalised and terrorist offenders and in the follow up activities after release.
Background and aim of the meeting
The meeting takes places against the background of critical, public debates fuelled by some recent high-profile attacks (United Kingdom, Austria) perpetrated by individuals who were released from prison and who were previously flagged for extremism and radicalisation.
Is prison rehab failing? Are dangerous people released? The figures for terrorist reoffenders are remarkably low, but how to keep released prisoners who are flagged as extremist from becoming dangerous after release? If they don’t reoffend, are they engaging with extremist activities in other ways?
During this meeting experienced prison, probation and rehabilitation/exit workers and police officers will look into the cases of radicalised or terrorist offenders. Is there a possibility to pinpoint what went wrong and does this lead to lessons to learn for prison, probation and rehabilitation procedures to decrease the possibility of reoffending?
The second day some inspiring practices will be presented against the background of lessons of the cases and previous recommendations on how to lower the risk of reoffending by released radicalised and terrorist prisoners.
The aim of the meeting is to
- Dive deeper into case studies of reoffenders to gain a better understanding of their profiles: Did they participate in intervention and deradicalisation programmes? Do we ‘understand’ reoffenders enough? How stable was their social network and how well were they rehabilitated in a functional way, meaning employment, housing and so on. But also understand ‘non-reoffenders’.
- Learn from best practices about information sharing and active cases management and holistic and long-term rehabilitation measures.
- Explore the role of risk and needs assessment as part of a holistic case management process.
- What effects do cases of reoffending have on the work of practitioners in terms of pressure and media reporting? How to prepare for this media pressure?
In order to find the best suited participants, we would like to ask you if you could answer the following questions:
- Do you have experience dealing with radicalised and terrorist offenders?
- Are you familiar with cases of reoffending or reengagement?
- What is your experience with holistic case management approaches?
Deadline
If you are interested in participating at this meeting, please elaborate on these questions by 10 March and send them to Julia Handle or Steven Lenos. We will invite participants based on this information.
Please keep in mind that we only have a limited amount of places available for this meeting to foster exchanges, so participation is not guaranteed.
Please note, the meeting will be held digitally, and the conversation will be in English.
If you have any further questions, please don´t hesitate to contact Julia Handle or Steven Lenos.