"Why is reoffending by former terrorist prisoners so low? Developing a model to explain terrorist reconviction rates." Paper presented at the Society for Terrorism Research Annual Conference, 2019.

Activity: Participating in or organising an eventParticipation in conference

Description

Contrary to general expectation, the reconviction rates for released terrorist prisoners are surprisingly low compared to the rates seen for non-terrorist prisoners. Available statistics suggest that this lower level of reconviction applies across a wide range of countries and different terrorist movements and groups. This paper provides a review of some of these relevant statistics and then draws on face-to-face interviews with 28 current and former terrorist prisoners in the UK to explore the potential reform and disengagement processes experienced by these prisoners and what might be distinctive compared to non-terrorist prisoners. A model is proposed which highlights a range of factors which can help explain the lower levels of reconviction generally seen with terrorist prisoners. Some potential implications in terms of current thinking around the crime-terror nexus, the foreign fighter threat and prison deradicalisation are highlighted.
Period19 Jun 201921 Jun 2019
Event typeConference
LocationOslo, NorwayShow on map
Degree of RecognitionInternational

Keywords

  • terrorism
  • violent extremism
  • re-offending
  • recidivism
  • disengagement
  • deradicalisation