Assessing the Effectiveness of Current De-Radicalization Initiatives And
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Assessing the Effectiveness of Current De‐Radicalization Initiatives and Identifying Implications for the Development of U.S.‐Based Initiatives in Multiple Settings Final Report to Human Factors/Behavioral Sciences Division, Science and Technology Directorate, U.S. Department of Homeland Security September 2009 (revised) National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism A Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Center of Excellence Based at the University of Maryland 3300 Symons Hall • College Park, MD 20742 • 301.405.6600 • www.start.umd.edu National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism A Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Center of Excellence About This Report This report is part of a series sponsored by the Human Factors/Behavioral Sciences Division in support of the Counter‐IED Prevent/Deter program. The goal of this program is to sponsor research that will aid the intelligence and law enforcement communities in identifying potential terrorist threats and support policymakers in developing prevention efforts. This project officially terminated on June 30th, 2009. The research was carried out by two researchers from the Pennsylvania State University, Dr. John Horgan, the Principal Investigator, and Mr. Kurt Braddock, Research Assistant. Biographical notes on the researchers is contained in Appendix A. This report represents the principal delivery of the findings of the research. A further report on the research findings will be published in an academic journal, to be submitted for review in early‐Fall 2009.This project was conducted over twelve months, and is the result of an analysis of open source, secondarily obtained material. As such, and because neither data collection nor data analysis was part of this effort, this report takes the form of a position paper. It should be stressed that this report is the result of independent research. The research that led to this report was supported with financial assistance from the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START), at the University of Maryland. This study was not a government research project: it is the work of an independent team of academics and has not been conducted to support or refute any particular policy objective. This material is based upon work supported by the Science and Technology directorate of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security under Grant Award Number 2008‐ST‐061‐ST0004, made to the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START, www.start.umd.edu). The views and conclusions contained in this document are those of the authors and should not be interpreted as necessarily representing the official policies, either expressed or implied, of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, START, or Pennsylvannia State University. About START The National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START) is supported in part by the Science and Technology Directorate of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security through a Center of Excellence program based at the University of Maryland. START uses state‐of‐the‐art theories, methods and data from the social and behavioral sciences to improve understanding of the origins, dynamics and social and psychological impacts of terrorism. For more information, contact START at [email protected] or visit www.start.umd.edu. Citations To cite this report, please use this format: “Author, Title of Report, College Park, MD, START 2009” National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism A U.S. Department of Homeland Security Center of Excellence Contents Executive Summary .................................................................................................................................................................. 3 Introduction ................................................................................................................................................................................ 6 This Report ............................................................................................................................................................................. 8 A Note on the Case Studies .............................................................................................................................................. 8 Case Study: Northern Ireland’s Early Release Scheme ...............................................................................................10 Introduction .........................................................................................................................................................................10 Critical Issues: Training and Reintegration as a Means of Risk Reduction .....................................................12 Critical Issues: Restorative Justice for Victims ..........................................................................................................14 Critical Issues: Recidivism ................................................................................................................................................15 Conclusions ..........................................................................................................................................................................16 Case Study: Colombia’s Disengagement and Reincorporation Program ............................................................18 Introduction .........................................................................................................................................................................18 Critical Issues: Victims Rights and the Management of Critique ......................................................................21 Critical Issues: Recidivism ................................................................................................................................................23 Conclusions ..........................................................................................................................................................................24 Case Study: Indonesian’s Disengagement Program ...................................................................................................25 Introduction .........................................................................................................................................................................25 Critical Issues: Criticism and Recidivism.....................................................................................................................29 Conclusions ..........................................................................................................................................................................30 Case Study: Yemen’s Religious Dialogue Committee .................................................................................................31 Introduction .........................................................................................................................................................................31 Critical Issues: Reactions, Claimed Successes and Recidivism ...........................................................................34 Conclusions ..........................................................................................................................................................................35 Case Study: Saudi Arabia’s Counseling Program ..........................................................................................................37 Introduction .........................................................................................................................................................................37 Conclusions ..........................................................................................................................................................................41 Conclusions ...............................................................................................................................................................................42 Assessing the Effectiveness of Current De-Radicalization Initiatives and Identifying Implications for 1 the Development of U.S.-Based Initiatives in Multiple Settings National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism A U.S. Department of Homeland Security Center of Excellence Bibliography ..............................................................................................................................................................................47 Appendix - Biographical Information on Research Team .........................................................................................57 Assessing the Effectiveness of Current De-Radicalization Initiatives and Identifying Implications for 2 the Development of U.S.-Based Initiatives in Multiple Settings National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism A U.S. Department of Homeland Security Center of Excellence Executive Summary In recent years, substantial attention has been paid to how and why terrorism ends. The welcome development of an increase in research on a hitherto neglected area has occurred in parallel with the increasing prevalence of a series of innovative, ambitious yet under-examined approaches to counterterrorism. These are collectively referred