SERA Preventing radicalisation in prisons -

P a g e | 5 ERASMUS+ N° 580247-EPP-1-2016-1-FR-EPPKA3-IPI-SOC-IN Definitions varied across the board, with interviewees describing radicalisation as a position, a way of thinking , an attitude , a concept or a pattern of behaviour/action . The wide majority of interviewees used action verbs such as ‘pushing’, ‘closing off’, ‘acting’, ‘placing oneself’, and eight interviewees made specific reference to radicalisation as a ‘ process ’. On the other hand, several respondents opted for non-action verbs or nouns, interpreting radicalisation as more fixed, static, or as ‘a state of being’. The main concepts interviewees referred to in relation to radicalisation were : Extremism : 16 interviewees Isolation (both ideological and physical): 5 interviewees Intolerance : 4 interviewees Fanatism : 2 interviewees Specific reference to violence/violent acts was only made in one definition. Analogously, terrorism was only mentioned by one respondent. A small minority of interviewees referred to politics, religion, social issues in their answers. Only one respondent mentioned ‘identification’ with a group. These findings echo the European Parliament’s interpretation of radicalisation as a complex matter lacking unilateral definition, which is closely related to notions of extremism and intolerance (European Parliament, 2015). In the prison context, these complexities are exacerbated by the very nature of the custodial setting: in fact, many prisoners are likely to embrace or develop extremist views, due to their physical isolation from mainstream society and their interaction with other inmates holding radical mind-sets (International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation and Political Violence , 2010). The challenge for staff working in prison lies in identifying and addressing radicalisation at the different stages of an inmate’s sentence. Although it is important that the prisoner is given attention throughout the sentence the pre- release period might be the most delicate as individuals are preparing themselves for resettlement into society. This report will now turn to discussing the various theories of radicalisation, after which the section after will explore national policies in France, Italy, Belgium, Spain, Malta and Turkey, and discuss the different types of training offered to prison staff and inmates in partner countries.