What is the best approach for preventing recruitment to terrorism? Findings from ABM experiments in social and situational prevention

This study uses agent-based models (ABMs) to compare the impacts of three different types of interventions targeting recruitment to terrorism - community workers at community centers; community-oriented policing; and an employment program for high-risk agents. The first two programs are social interventions that focus on de-radicalization and changing the dispositions of agents in the model, whereas the employment program focuses on "deflection" and represents a situational/opportunity reducing approach to prevention. The results show significant impacts of the community worker and community policing interventions on radicalization but no significant impact on recruitment. In contrast, the employment intervention had a strong and significant impact on recruitment, but little impact on radicalization

"Judaism Intertwines with Worldly Good": A Qualitative Study on Religious Rehabilitation Programs in the Israeli Prison Service

Background: Religion with its religious institutions has played a key role in shaping punishment and rehabilitation of offenders throughout history. The aim of these programs is to transform a person spiritually and lead them to intra-personal changes on the religious level by prompting repentance or the reaffirmation of one's faith. Objectives: We present qualitative findings from an evaluation of two religious programs operating in the Israeli Prison Service: The Torah Rehabilitation Program (TRP) that functions as a religious community within prison walls, and the Torah Study Program (TSP) in which prisoners participate faith-based studies four hours a day. The main research question that led the researchers was how Judaism provides opportunities for prisoner’s rehabilitation. Method: This research is a qualitative study that includes seven interviews with seven Rabbis who work in the Israeli Prison Service and lead the religious programs. The interviewees were involved in the formulation and implementation of the religious correctional programs. Results: The interviewees have raised a link between Jewish beliefs and practices, including atonement, and the foundations of prisoners’ rehabilitation. Among the themes that have been raised: promoting moral action; giving prisoners a second chance; providing opportunities for repentance and atonement; supervision; placing emphasis on behavioral norms; focusing on belonging and commitment to a community; working alongside Torah; learning and providing a unique response to each individual according to their characteristics and needs. Conclusions: The emerging themes raised in the interviews correspond well with theoretical ideas found in the field of corrections in general and in positive criminology in particular

Policing Terrorism, Crime Control, and Police-Community RelationsLearning from the Israeli Experience /

XII, 172 p. 21 illus.online resource

Introduction

In this chapter we introduce this edited volume on recruitment to organized crime and terrorism. The volume presents key findings from the Proton project. As detailed in this introduction, the papers included add substantive and significant knowledge to our understanding of these questions focusing on the economic, social, and psychological factors that increase the likelihood of recruitment. We first briefly review the existing literature on recruitment to terrorism and organized crime, identifying key gaps in the literature. We then turn to the specific contributions in the volume and summarize how they have added to the knowledge base in this area. Finally, we revisit the question of similarities and differences between factors influencing recruitment based on the papers in the volume, and try to draw broader conclusions about how this knowledge can inform societal responses to the problem of recruitment

Delinquent development, employment and income in a sample of dutch organized crime offenders: Shape, content, and correlates of delinquent trajectories from age 12 to 65

This chapter describes the shape and content of criminal careers of a large sample of Dutch organized crime offenders and relates these criminal careers to social economic factors such as employment and income. Other chapters in this volume provide systematic reviews of the literature regarding criminal careers of specific - largely understudied - groups, such as criminal careers of organized crime offenders (e.g. Savona et al. 2020). Reviews of the literature demonstrate that the vast majority of studies focuses on juveniles, adolescents, and high-volume crime. Therefore, we do not know whether or not ‘established facts’ about traditional criminal careers (e.g. Farrington, 2003; Blokland and Van der Geest, 2017) also hold for criminal careers in organized crime. Does a long and serious criminal career, for example, require an early onset of offending, as is the case for traditional forms of crime? And is employment an important preventive factor for involvement in crime, as is demonstrated by studies on employment and criminal careers (e.g. Van der Geest, 2011)? Since organized crime is in many ways different from traditional forms of crime (see below), it is important to focus more empirical research effort on this specific - seriously understudied - group of offenders