The deadly attacks in Madrid (2004), London (2005), Glasgow (2007) and Stockholm (2010), followed by the foiled attempts and arrests in Copenhagen (2010) and Berlin (2011) and the recent attack in France (2015) have all contributed to move back the issue of violent extremism and “radicalisation” up on the European political agenda. Furthermore, political concerns about youth radicalization especially in Western Europe and North America gained momentum with the publication of alarmist intelligence reports and the news reports about European citizens flocking to Syria to fight, mostly alongside the Syrian opposition (Bigo, Bonelli Guittet & Ragazzi, 2014, Study for the LIBE Committee).

The need for an assessment of the threat posed by these groups is particularly clear in the recent EU Commission Declaration of January 2014 calling EUMS to increase their efforts to prevent radicalization and extremism. In the debate about radicalization and violent extremism, prisons are often described as “breeding grounds” for radicalisation. The criminologist Harvey Kushner argues that Western prisons are one of the main recruitment grounds for Al Qaeda (Kushner & Davis 2004). This should come as no surprise since prisons are ‘places of vulnerability’ that provide near-perfect conditions in which radical, religiously framed ideologies can flourish.

As many studies demonstrate, prison systems have always played an important role in the development of a militant organization’s ideology, in the recruitment of new members and in the reinforcement of the narratives of every radical movement of the modern period. However, these cases are far too often considered as evidence of prison radicalization. More cautions approaches to radicalization show a less dramatic reality: since prisons are over-crowded closed environments, radicalization may be seen as a strategy of resistance to the prison system (Khosrokhavar, 2004 ) or as a way to escape from the difficulties of prison life (Spalek and El-Hassan, 2007; Clear and Sumter, 2002, Dammer, 2002 cit. by Bigo et al., 2014), rather than as an inexorable step in a process of extremism.

The project R2PRIS - Radicalization Prevention in Prisons (2015-1-PT01-KA204-013062) has been approved for funding by the ERASMUS+ funding agency. Aligned with the current problematics of radicalization of inmates in European prisons, the R2PRIS project aims to:

1. Create awareness on the broad picture of terrorism, the mind set and narratives used by understanding a) why prisons are a breeding ground for radicalization; b) the difference between conversion, radicalization and moving to extremist views (terminology); c) the pathways and levels of radicalization, role in the network; d) recruitment tactics employed within the prison environment; e) indicators on how to identify vulnerable people at risk of radicalization;


2. Develop the tools and instruments for prison administration and line-level staff to recognize signs of radicalization at an early stage within their specific facility;

3. Provide common, consistent and effective instruments to help staff report their observations to the appropriate intelligence staff;

4. Provide model procedures for intelligence staff to vet the data they receive from prison staff and to appropriately interpret it;

5. Establish a series of training programmes and tools for all staff within a prison to respond appropriately to potential vulnerable individuals at risk of radicalization.

The consortium is composed by:
A. Research & development providers:

• BSAFE LAB / UBI University - project promotor (PT)

• IPS_Innovative Prison Systems (PT)

• CRSP Romanian Centre for Penitentiary Studies (RO)

B. Penitentiary administrations:

• NAP Romanian prison system (RO)

• Belgium prison system (BE)

• Kriminalomsorgen - Directorate of Norwegian Correctional Service, NO

• Turkish prison administration (TR)

• PDGRSP, Portugal (as associated partner)
• … and other prison systems that may want to participate.

C. Dissemination partners

• ICPA International Corrections and Prisons Association
EuroPris
• The European Organisation of Prison and Correctional Services

The kick off meeting of the R2PRIS project will take place at the Beira Interior University on the 3rd and 4th November 2015.

An open class involving partners and the academic community is foreseen.

For further information about the R2PRIS project, please visit www.r2pris.org