Terrorists and extremists in Prison: Psychological Issues in management and reform

There is increasing recognition that prisons are a crucial arena in efforts to combat terrorism and bring about an end to terrorist conflicts. In most long-running conflicts, terrorist prisoners have become a critical factor in the conflict, one that often can hold the key to unlocking a solution to the violence. Ignored or mishandled, however, these prisoners have the capacity to turn a bad situation worse and to become a profound obstacle to progress in the world outside the prison walls. This chapter focuses on some of the key challenges posed by terrorists and violent extremists in prison. These range from critical issues as to how such prisoners can be safely and securely managed, whether it is possible to effectively deradicalise or disengage prisoners from campaigns of violence and also how to deal with concerns about the spread of radicalisation among prisoners and the recruitment of other prisoners to the terrorist’s cause.