Extremism and the prison system
Project date range: 01.06.2016 - 31.05.2017
Funding: This project is co-financed by the European Commission with funding from the Internal Security Fund
Description
Against the background of the increase of presumably politically or religiously motivated acts of violence as well as medial reports of terror a new approach for the prevention of criminal offences is being initiated. In this context the prison system is being confronted with special challenges, since some prisoners support extreme opinions and there is no way of ruling out that they will try to enforce these through radical means – even with criminal offences. On the one hand the danger exists that radicalisation will develop and be promoted under the special conditions in the closed institutions. On the other hand these conditions can be seen as a chance to develop and support new alternative life plans.
In this research project, extensive research and evaluation of relevant literature should take place. Furthermore, requirements and information provided by the justice system on European, national and state levels are being gathered and processed. Against this backdrop the investigation and description of the situation in Germany as well as other selected European countries are part of this project. This information should be supplemented with expert interviews, an inquiry into current procedures and approaches and a panel of experts with the participation of specialists from science and the state justice department administrations.